THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
I’m not referring to the 2005 movie version of Douglas Adams’ giddily inventive sci-fi comedy, though that has its moments. This is the two-DVD release of the 1981 BBC-TV miniseries (imported to the U.S. soon afterward), bringing to life the same dark, hilarious plot as the BBC Radio 4 series in 1978, which spawned the bestselling novels. This TV version of Hitchhiker’sis delightful, in part, because it does so much with so little – a small budget and a limited special-effects capability. Yet this version, with Simon Jones as reluctant galactic traveler Arthur Dent and Peter Jones as the voice of the all-knowing “Book,” is brilliant because of, as well as in spite of, its scale, like a MENSA version of vintage Doctor Who. The first disc in this collection has all six episodes, while the second disc is loaded with hours of superb extras. – DB