The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Including Life, the Universe and Everything

At some point in their life, every person has wondered what their purpose in life is. Questions involving why humans are on Earth, what they are supposed to do with their lives and whether there is more to life than what meets the eye have wandered through many minds without really producing a definitive answer. But it is likely that a definitive answer does not exist; or in fact, a definitive answer is not really needed to carry on with life. And that is the point made in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Arthur Dent rises one morning to a rude awakening that his house is to be demolished immediately to make way for a bypass. In denial but unable to do anything about the situation, Arthur is dragged off to a pub by his friend Ford Prefect under the pretext of having a pint of beer before the world comes to an end. Ford confesses to being an alien from a neighbouring planet and a journalist who is commissioned to complete writing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Reluctant to believe him, Arthur gets dragged along and finds himself on an alien ship with planet Earth reduced to dust. An altercation with their host results in them being evacuated and picked up by the Heart of Gold, a ship stolen by the President of the Universe and Ford’s semi half-brother, Zaphod Beeblebrox. Also on board are Marvin the Paranoid Android and Tricia McMillian aka Trillian, a human who Arthur knew from his days back on Earth and who becomes his love interest. Together the collective travel the galaxy in search of the true question to life, the universe and everything that will be a suitable match for the answer 42.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was directed by Garth Jennings and released in 2005. It is adapted from a novel of the same name which was written by Douglas Adams, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film. The franchise includes the original novel, the film and several other spinoffs that arose after the original book was published. The film can be easily identified as science fiction with elements of fantasy spun into it, but the comedy in the film is a standout which cannot be ignored.

The actors have been cast excellently considering they fit perfectly into the style of their respective characters. The biggest challenge for the actors and the director in the film would have been to convey the deadpan style of humour which is unique to this franchise and incredibly difficult to recreate. As such, the film is a credit to the franchise and has been done well. The film does not attempt to raise questions and then solve them, it pokes fun at the idea of having an answer to everything we do in life and the constant need to rectify thoughts and actions with an ultimate purpose to one’s existence.

The tongue-in-cheek jokes that come up every now and then can be hilarious once understood in context. A constantly depressed robot saves the lives of a group of people by depressing their attackers, a Vogon’s preferred form of torture is to read poetry and a whale has just come into existence in free-fall unaware of what he is supposed to feel; certain moments such as these are truly hilarious and well done in the film. The superimposing of Arthur’s house being destroyed to make way for a national bypass and then his entire planet being destroyed to make way for a galactic bypass blends both tragedy and comedy, a rare occurrence in any film. Even the misfortune involving the President of the Galaxy ordering a planet to be destroyed when he thinks he is signing an autograph is a ridiculous moment which is then exaggerated because the same planet happens to be the most important in the galaxy that was created with a purpose of solving the ultimate question.

The film is mostly comedy mixed with science fiction. Few elements of romance crop up during the course of the film but it is overall a very good deadpan humour-based comedy film.

Why We Fight: A look at USA’s aggressive military policies

There is one common theme which can be witnessed to be present in all of the world’s recorded history. This theme is war. War arises, mostly, due to conflict of interests and in defence of certain ideas. As humans, we are bound to have our own ideas and be loyal to them and defend them, this ultimately creates a conflict of interests and on the larger scale, between countries for example, such a problem can lead to a war.

Why We Fight is a 2005 documentary which takes a retrospective perspective of America’s involvement in many large wars over a period of six decades since the end of the Second World War. The documentary was directed by Eugene Jarecki and features many interviews with top correspondents and former officials from the American military, aids to Congress, armament manufacturers and other significant personalities. It also includes stock footage of various past Presidents of the United States of America including Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, Bill Clinton and George Bush. The documentary also features personal bytes from a Vietnam veteran who lost his son in the 9/11 attacks, two stealth fighter pilots who dropped the first bombs in Baghdad at the start of the 2003 Iraq war and a young man who has volunteered for the American military service. Most of the documentary features the policy making agenda of the American Congress which leads to America’s ever increasing involvement in wars, particularly the Iraq war in 2003. The documentary also has snippets of interviews with locals from Iraq about their thoughts on America and their involvement in the political affairs of their country.

The documentary’s main focus is President Eisenhower’s farewell speech which warns the American people of the military-industrial complex which in foresight appears to have been fulfilled. Eisenhower was increasingly aware that America’s military growth would lead to growing need for ammunitions which would increase the competition among arms manufacturing companies which would eventually increase jobs resulting to a complex that would not be viable to shut down. Since the end of World War II and America’s growing need of acquiring arms, the United States has participated in a major war in practically every decade under the stewardship of a different president. The documentary focuses mainly on the most recent war which is the Iraq war in 2003 which was first attributed as retribution for the 9/11 attack on America but then later swept under the carpet as a move to end an oppressive regime and bring democracy to the country. The documentary also focuses on America’s policy-making decisions which change phenomenally with every new president and especially their foreign policy of pre-emptive strikes. America’s policy of pre-emptive strikes can be defined as declaration of war against a country which might in the future declare war upon its neighbouring countries or which have the capability of launching a full military operation which may be counterproductive to America’s ideals.

The documentary begins from a neutral standpoint by merely gathering facts and placing them together. Through the interviews of officials and stock footage of the past presidents, the documentary brings different viewpoints into the mix for an overall perspective. As the documentary starts to focus on the topic of the Iraq war, the perspective of the documentary gradually shifts towards being a propagandist film. Through the viewpoints of the interviews conducted, the documentary speaks about America’s rash use of explosives and the carless attitude of its military in treatment of civilian lives in the war zones. Although the documentary does use bytes from both sides of the argument, towards the latter stage of the film, the criticism of America’s use of military power takes stage.

The main premise of the documentary is to unearth America’s military policies and the reasons for America’s increasing involvement in major wars which have occurred since the end of the Second World War. The documentary continuously poses one simple question which forms the title of the documentary, why do we fight?