How unenviable a task to make a film of such cultish material as Douglas Adams’ popular sci-fi farce. The main challenge seems to be finding a balance between satisfying the existing legion of fans (easily identifiable in the audience – look for the nerds clutching their towels) and the uninitiated (presumably the crowd that the explosion-centric previews were designed to lure). The good news is that this new version finds that balance. The bad news is that in doing so, some of the humor seems restrained, probably so as not to alienate newcomers that won’t get the numerous in-jokes. The classic elements are mostly all there (the Babelfish, the dolphins, the Improbability Drive), with many things reimagined in stylish and whimsical new ways. Marvin the manic depressive robot looks like he should come with iPod headphones. The Vogons are awesomely ugly, as only Jim Henson’s Creature Shop can create. Sam Rockwell plays a great parody of two-faced celebrity-cowboy politicians as Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox. Zooey Deschanel is adorable as Trillian, the last surviving human female. John Malkovich makes an extended cameo as a bizarre foe who gets freakier with each frame. We’re treated to the best use of animated yarn dolls I’ve seen this year. It’s not full of surprises for someone like myself who has read the books, seen the original mini-series and heard the radio play, but it’s a cool-looking spectacle that gets more eye-popping as it goes.

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