Paul - Movie Review
Paul is surely an enjoyable and funny sci-fi road movie guaranteed to please all Pegg and Frost fans.
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost made their mark like a duo back in 2004 together with the hit zombie comedyShaun of the Dead. They all over again collaborated with Shaun director Edgar Wright on Hot Fuzzin 2007. After that, I just loved both these guys on screen. Paying homage to such comedy duos as Farley & Spade or Martin & Aykroyd, Frost & Pegg deliver such on-screen chemistry and humor that it must be almost instant magic when they are on the screen together. Paul is no different. While probably the least funny of your duo's three outings, Paul still provides many laughs and does not leave fans of your duo disappointed.
Paul follows the storyplot of two British comic-book nerds (Graeme and Clive) who will be on the trip of your life when they finally look at the U.S. and Comic-Con. As soon as the convention, they look to further appease the sci-fi geek by themselves as they take a road trip across the country intending to hit all the UFO landmarks....including Area 51. It may not be far from Area 51 that these particular two everyday geeks get their lives changed forever.
Out in the heart of the desert, driving along for their RV, the two witness a motor vehicle crash. Pulling onto see if they can be of any help, the two find sight that would surely produce a nerd-gasm to any hardcore sci-fi geek. Maybe in the case of Clive (Frost) cause him to faint and piss himself. There standing near the wreckage is quirky alien Paul. A weird term for an alien indeed, only one that stuck after Paul's spaceship landed on and killed 14 by the same name upon Paul's first landing on this planet.
After the shock wears off and introductions are made, Paul convinces Graeme (Pegg) to support him out and aid him in fleeing from his captors making sure that he may return home all over again. Paul, upon serving his purpose to your government, had been set to be terminated at Area 51 before he escaped his prison and fled for his life. It had been then he ran into the comic book nerds as if by fate. With Paul and Graeme loading inside the still unconscious Clive, so begins this quirky road trip, as the trio must evade agents and overcome obstacles to have their newfound friend Paul back where he belongs.
While it has been proven the Pegg and Frost work well together, I initially wondered how well Seth Rogen (the voice of Paul) would easily fit in. Let me assure you, the chemistry is unharmed and Rogen fits it plenty well enough. With his rude manners and quips, Paul can be something of a lovable little pot-smoking, crude, excessively-cussing alien. Bring to mind him like E.T. but for your younger adult crowd. He provides loads of laughter throughout the movie in addition to Pegg and Frost. Your back and forth between the three provide loads of funny moments which will make this an entertaining adventure.
If I have one problem with the Paul character, it's a picky one. Paul is voiced straight up by Rogen. Meaning there's no voice done or post-production altering of your voice, just flat-out it's Seth Rogen you hear. This, to a degree I think, took far from becoming totally linked to that character as it was always just Seth Rogen "hiding" behind an alien mask in my opinion. It's not one of those characters that is a character of its own like E.T. or Gollum. However, this doesn't ruin the movie by any means, and you still find yourself wishing you had a Paul of your family to kick back, smoke some pot with and have a fun crude time.
Pegg and Frost, already self-confirmed sci-fi nerds, essentially just play nerdier versions of themselves and implement it well. As I mentioned, the chemistry between both these is undeniable and they provide some good laughs all over again. Combine this trio by funny supporting cast members and cameos (Kristen Wiig, Jason Bateman, Jane Lynch, Bill Hader and David Koechner), you have plenty of moments that could keep you laughing.
At the core than it all, too, is a heart-felt movie about compassion and one's journey home or to finding themself. Couple this together with the humor and this movie is sure to put a smile on your face. With plenty of inside jokes and references that could appeal to sci-fi geeks, this has a little bit of everything for merely anyone. Of course, don't bring your children as this is the adult version of E.T., thus it is much more crude and has adult situations in it.
All is not grand together with the movie though. I can't heap endless praise on it and imply you cannot find any fault. The first thing being: Edgar Wright is definitely missed in this third outing from Pegg/Frost. While still funny and enjoyable, the movie definitely lacks something which their previous two outings did. My prediction is the writing and direction of Edgar Wright. Most of that charm is definitely missing. While still entertaining indeed, Paul loses a touch of that magic and humor thatShaun and Hot Fuzz had. This will make the movie feel a bit flat in places. A somewhat bland version in men In Black meets E.T.. Once i mentioned, there are plenty of funny moments, but plenty also fall inside category of just amusing and worth a chuckle rather than laugh-out-loud type moments. The storyplot itself is rather cliche and unimaginative at the same time. This "blandness" causes things to droll on to a slight degree at moments. Although the characters are likable as well as the cast soon patch things finished with their comedic content to keep things rolling along.
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Despite its slight shortcomings, Paul does indeed provide several laughs and some good entertainment. While possibly slightly generic/bland, the movie is a fun ride and the other that will surely please any Pegg or Frost fans whilst making sci-fi nerds a bit giddy over the inside jokes/references. For the fan of this pair's previous two movies, Paul might not end up being your favorite of your three, but it's well worth the watch and you won't leave disappointed.