THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY ★★½
(Comcast Movie Collections: Space Travel Flicks) The film adaptation of Douglas Adams’s beloved science fiction cult novel isn’t a disaster, but it’s not an interstellar home run, either. Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, and Zooey Deschanel careen around the universe seeking the answer to life (it’s 42, for the uninitiated), and if the film approximates Adams’s Monty-Python-meets-“Star-Wars” giddiness, it misses the author’s satiric sting. Some good solid laughs amid the clutter, though. (PG; runs through July 2)
NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS ★★★★
(Comcast Movie Collections: Heroic Kids) In this disappointing sequel, Emma Thompson’s mono-browed, mole-dotted caregiver is gentler, and paired with kids whose rambunctiousness seems manufactured rather than amusingly exaggerated. Maggie Gyllenhaal is the beleaguered parent struggling to keep the family farm afloat while her husband is off at war. (PG; runs through July 2)
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES ★★½
(Comcast Movie Collections: Heroic Kids) Adapted from a popular kids’ book series, this action-fantasy contraption suggests “The Golden Compass” taking place in one house. Freddie Highmore (playing twins) and Sarah Bolger are siblings who discover the Faerie world and fight to save it from a big, nasty ogre (Nick Nolte). The cast includes Mary-Louise Parker, David Strathairn, and Dame Joan Plowright, all upstaged by the creature effects. Too scary for the under-8 crowd. (PG; runs through July 2)