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Peacock subscribers can now stream a cult classic gem of 2000s sci-fi. The NBCUniversal streamer has been growing its library all April long, catering to science fiction fans with the arrival of movies like Hot Tub Time Machine and Interstellar. The start of the month also brought a decades-old adaptation of a popular sci-fi classic, and despite achieving cult classic status, we’re still waiting on a sequel.
That movie is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Garth Jennings’s 2005 adaptation of Douglas Adams’s series of the same name. The Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, and Alan Rickman-starring movie started streaming on Peacock on April 1st and follows an ordinary Englishman named Arthur Dent and his alien friend Ford Prefect, who travel the galaxy with the Heart of Gold spaceship crew searching for the meaning of life after Earth is destroyed by Vogons to make way for a hyperspace bypass. Although the film was intended to be the start of a series, its mixed critical reception (61% Tomatometer score) and modest box office returns ($100 million against a $50 million budget) squashed those chances.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Is a Quirky Adaptation That Still Holds Up
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy adaptation holds a unique place in 2000s sci-fi. The movie brought a distinctively British, absurdist, and satirical voice to the genre that stood out from the era’s more serious, high-stakes science fiction blockbusters and successfully captured the tone and spirit of the source material, even if it wasn’t a rigid adaptation. Every aspect of the film is designed to embrace and celebrate absurdity, from the animated, encyclopedia-like entries that pop up throughout the film to the absurdist visuals like a whale and a bowl of petunias suddenly appearing in deep space, transforming the film into a frantic and lighthearted space romp that still holds up more than two decades later.
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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has more going for it than just its quirky nature that has helped make it a cult classic and a movie that definitely deserved a sequel. The movie excels in visual flair, blending practical effects, puppetry, and CGI to create a unique and imaginative aesthetic that captures the surreal spirit of the book and gives the movie a tangible, retro-futuristic feel. The movie is also a great example of perfect casting, with Rockwell delivering an over-the-top performance as the charismatic, two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox and Rickman’s voice-over work as the depressed android Marvin being spot-on.
What’s New on Peacock?
April is a pretty strong month for Peacock. In addition to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the streamer has also added other films like Airplane!, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Dazed and Confused, Face/Off, Pulp Fiction, Space Jam, and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. The NBCUniversal still has dozens of additions to make by April’s end, including Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu on April 20th and Five Nights At Freddy’s on April 26th.
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