I watched the movie for a second time while flying back from Paris. I really did enjoy it, even though it came nowhere near matching the brilliance of the book. But, short of the full LotR treatment, nothing could. At least it was not embarassingly bad, an admirable effort for what it was.

Personally, I think Jay Roach would have butchered it.

I never read the books, I only knew the Infocom text adventure; I had a lot of fun with the new movie. My wife had no previous idea of the Hitchhiker's universe, and REALLY enjoyed the movie (She REALLY loves dolphins).