I have not read the book so I don't know how faithful the film was to the written material, but on its own I think the film is a brilliant piece of art. It is original, thought provoking, and hilarious. The premise is basically that the earth is destroyed so an alien race can build an express way and what two humans experience the are played very well by Martin Freeman and the to cute for words Zooey Deschanel. The other cast includes the always brilliant and often under rated Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, and the legendary Alan Rickman (voice). This film has astonishing special effects done by Industrial Light and Magic and takes you to the far reaches of the universe and beyond. I thought it did a good job of brining about the BIG question and showing how important life is. One of the few films that I think can truly qualify as a masterpiece definite must see!!