Review of Paul (2011) by Stevenf — 07 Sep 2013

There have been plenty of attempts at reliving some sort of alien encounter, but 'Paul' adds a comic touch to a decades long tale of UFOs and government conspiracies. The addition of comic duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost certainly adds a nerdy touch to the film, it isn't one of their smartest or witty films, then again they take a break from behind the camera and are simply the stars and writers this time around. They play two British comic book fanatics Graeme and Clive who are fish out of water as they visit America for Comic-Con, we realise its a dream they have always wanted to happen, but their journey becomes a lot more lively when they'd happen across Paul, a foul-mouthed and socially in touch alien, voiced by Seth Rogen, he kills all the clichés that we are told and believe of extra-terrestrial life, he swears, smokes and convinces everyone most of the entertaining sci-fi adventures of the past 60 years. The film ticks along as a comical history lesson, with Seth Rogen being the real comic force in the film as Paul the alien, while the men chasing down this other life form also hit some hysterical high notes with the serious and typical formation of what we would expect of a 'government agent' in Jason Bateman, but his two bumbling sidekicks played by Bill Hader and Jo Lo Truglio who are treating their job like first timers, and their comedy is juvenile but brilliant. This all leads into an explosive finale which combines everything we've seen and adds in a few surprises to keep it fresh and interesting.

The film works with the same plot devices as many same genre films, but it benefits from the powerhouse comic cast and funny supporting cast. It re-enacts and parodies many devices used over the years, the agents, the unknown voice and boss who is identified only through hands and of course the touching moments where Paul re-visits those whose lives he changed many years before. The nice alternate take on a lengthy tale of alien encounters is a welcome relief and adds plenty of amusing anecdotes to pop culture tales from Paul's point of view, it takes some predictable turns but then flips them around to keep surprising and enlightening the audience throughout.