The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

While running out of beer on a Sunday morning is the end of the world for you, the earth being blown to pieces is the end of the world for Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman). Luckily, in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Arthur is swept up by his best friend and alien (Mos Def) moments before the planet's destruction, and the two hitch a ride on a stolen spaceship with the president of the universe (Sam Rockwell). If you've read the Douglas Adams book that the movie is based on, you know that the humor is very British, and the movie won't disappoint snaggle-toothed purists by mixing elements of Spaceballs with Monty Python. Rockwell nails his turn as the flighty president, Mos Def serves as an affable intergalactic tour guide, and Zooey Deschanel rescues her forced love-interest role. Yet the best performance comes from the clinically depressed robot, Marvin (voiced by Alan Rickman), who's more pathetic than dressing up as C-3PO to stand in line for Revenge of the Sith. The guide itself is even a character, narrating hilarious animated explanations of various species and gadgets inhabiting the universe. Held together with an assortment of crisp CGI, Hitchhiker's Guide is convincing enough to make Greenpeace reconsider its efforts to save the planet.