The Hitchhiker's guide to the meaning of life on circuit

Based on the books by Douglas Adams, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" begins with Arthur Dent (played by Martin Freeman), a typical guy having a very bad day.

Arthur's house is about to be bulldozed, his best friend turns out to be an alien and, to top things off, it appears that Planet Earth will be demolished in mere seconds to make way for a hyperspace freeway. Arthur's only chance for survival: hitch a quick ride on a passing spacecraft, with the help of his best friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def).

Jetting off into the complete unknown, Arthur makes some major discoveries about the true nature of the universe. He finds that a towel is the most massively useful thing a person can carry. He uncovers the precise meaning of life.

The story, which originally started as a radio series on the BBC in 1978, went on to become a five-part trilogy of novels, a BBC TV series, a groundbreaking computer game, the subject of college courses and more. And now this cultural phenomenon has been turned into a big-screen movie.

The film version of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" pays homage to the spirit of irreverence and invention that have made this story so enduring. Using an eye-popping mix of state-of-the-art and old-school special effects, the film propels audiences - whether long-time fans or the as-yet uninitiated - right out of everyday reality and into a side-achingly alternate universe that plays by its own set of rules.

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is directed by Garth Jennings. The screenplay is written by Douglas Adams and Karey Kirkpatrick and is based on Adams' books.