The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (DVD, 2002)

Ah the 70's creative mind and the UK (sigh...). This visual adaptation of the genius level books effectively gets you back to that spacetime continuum authentically as the present day movie with it's, I suppose appropriate present day compromises, fails to. I'll say it's different now. DVD's -- spacetime machines!

Great product and fast shipper. Thank you for providing something that I thought was unavailable! It's great to share this series with the kids!!

This DVD contains a fairly good quality transfer of the complete British TV 6-part series covering what later became the first two books of Douglas Adams the 6 book Hitchhikers trilogy. I've enjoyed watching it a few times since it's always fun to freeze-frame many of the HHGTTG book entries to read all of the content that flashes on-screen very quickly. The humor is great in exactly the same way all of the Ernest movies are NOT!!! There are very few extras and an Easter egg that is not all that great.

Transfer: B
Package: C
Screenplay: A+
Animated Book Entries: A+

Even if you already have this series on VHS, the DVD version is a necessary addition to your Hitchhikers collection. The second disk with lots of extras is worth the price alone, and the original television series is the closest you will find to the ORIGINAL story line. Sure, it's not as glitzy as the recent movie version, but it is truer to the radio series. The special effects are amazing considering that computer graphics were still light years away in a parallel universe. Grab your towel and a big bag of crisps, sit back and enjoy!

I saw the BBC 6-Episode in '81 and loved it then...appreciate it more, now. I thought the graphics were phenomenal and Zaphod's 2nd dummy head pathetic then, and continue to now. The main DVD of this set is great, just like watching it on TV (PBS Seattle/Tacoma, WA - viewed here in Canada) in '81, and the special features disc is jam-packed with rare BBC goodies - amazing stuff you'd think was lost.

You've got 2 choices: this 1981 version, or the 2005 movie. The feature film had some great elements, but was only half the running time. This story is so rich that even 3 hours seems like it's not enough. Douglas Adams could have extended it to 20 episodes. This story could STILL be going on....and maybe it is...at the end of the universe somewhere. Know where your towel is.

Ford Prefect, Arthur Dent, and Zaphod Beeblebrox were cast far better in 1981 in my opinion - and Zaphod's character written better, as opposed to the 2005 film. This story is British and cerebral and those '81 actors bring it to life. Of course, this review is aimed at people who know a bit out Hitch Hiker - if you don't know about it, it's a sci-fi and British Comedy classic that should be at least viewed. If your idea of sci-fi is strictly Stargate and assorted Hollywood action crap, don't bother. Conversely, smart people not into sci-fi might dig Hitch Hiker anyway.

I wanted this on DVD for years, glad I found it...but I'm keeping my old VHS of Hitch Hiker's, because all 6 episodes run together. My only complaint with this DVD is the silly Improbability Drive thing that occurs when you press 'Play All' for the episodes. Unnecessary. Otherwise....well, destroy all Vogons!

This is a great series from the BBC, and so close to the books and radio plays that it is great for any fan of the Hitchikers Guide.

This was the original filming of this great story by Douglas Adams. Even though the special effects were from the low-budget 70's, it is still a classic for any true science fiction fan.

The original! I loved recent movie as well, but it lacks the campiness of the original series. Every bit as entertaining as I remembered it to be.