Paul (2011) [Blu-ray]
Adventure | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline: Ever felt a little alien?

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun Of The Dead) reunite as sci-fi geeks taking a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland. There they meet a smart-ass alien, Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), who takes them on an insane road trip. As they struggle to return Paul home, the little green man might just take the outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes. From the director of Superbad, Greg Mottola, and with a stellar supporting cast including Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Jane Lynch and Sigourney Weaver, Paul is a must-own comedy adventure not to be missed!

User Comment: dapplegrey13 from United States, 3 March 2011 • We saw it tonight with about 30 friends at a pre-release screening in Atlanta.

Let me say I am a 50-yr-old female film-lover. Sci fi is not my favorite genre, but I have seen most of the sci fi classics.

I didn't know what to expect as I am not always a sci-fi comedy fan. For instance, although mildly entertaining, I wasn't wild about "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". I was wild about some of the cast members, but not really the film.

So, we arrived and the theatre was packed. They were turning people away at the door. Although I had qualms and wasn't sure I'd like it, it turns out I LOVED it! ALL of the audience members seemed to laugh themselves in to hysterics through much of the film. And the ENTIRE AUDIENCE CLAPPED WILDLY AT THE END!

WARNING: This movie is NOT for the devoutly religious or for those who are offended by swearing and sexual references. Period. If you THINK you might be offended by anti-religion humor, swearing, or sexual references, then don't go. And I would recommend it for older teens only; NOT young teens.

Amazingly, during the first 20 minutes or so, I found myself thinking 'This is delightful! If only they could keep it THIS funny for the rest of the film..... so many comedies start out with a bang and then are just "tired" by the end of the movie.....'

But I couldn't have been more wrong. It not only kept up a wonderful pace, but introduced many great characters along the way.

If you enjoyed "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz", this will be right up your alley. There were lots of sci fi movie references (Alien, ET, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Star Wars, Aliens, Predator, etc.) It had an AWESOME cast, MARVELOUS character development, and a terrific script that went from sweet and moving, to hilarious, to scary, and back. It was really SO MUCH FUN!

It is lewd, it will certainly will be offensive to some American Christians, and it is totally sci-fi, but it's absolutely hilarious. So, you sci-fi comedy lovers, GO!! RUN to the theatre to see it on the big screen. Take friends and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Summary: RUN to the theatres to see this one!

User Comment: n-kalimin from Canada, 2 March 2011 • I lucked out and received tickets to watch an advance screening of this movie. I had 0 expectations, the trailer didn't really show much, and generally went in with an open mind.

Bottom line: no forced laughs and I laughed a plenty. The writing was absolutely brilliant. The gags are funny, and jokes come in smart and crude and those who are science fiction fans will get a huge kick out of how many hidden nods there are everywhere. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost did a fantastic job penning this script (as well as their acting)and well executed by Greg Mottola (Superbad and Adventureland). Simply put, I had a blast and it was just that much satisfying as a film overall.

Personally, I would have given it a 10, but it may be hard to recommend to a wide audience. I would expect anyone aged from 16 to 30 would enjoy it the most given the amount of vulgarity in the movie. Basically, I wouldn't recommend it to my parents because they definitely will get turned off by it.

I was initially skeptical about Seth Rogan voicing Paul: DON'T WORRY. He does a great job and you end up loving the character. All the actors in this film were great and you will enjoy their roles.

Summary: A pleasant surprise that had me laughing all the way.

[CSW] -4- I watched the unrated version which I think just had a little more profanity in it than the R-rated version but I can't be sure, having never seen the rated version. As usual comedies tend to be a once-is-enough for me because I know the punch lines the second time but this one came close to getting added to my collection. It is true that there were a lot of sci-fi movie references (Alien, ET, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Star Wars, Aliens, Predator, etc.) including several sci-fi movie actors and cameos. The plot line was thoroughly entreating and I liked the premise that the alien was more human than the earthlings. All in all this is a film that should not be missed - unless you are a religious zealot or are super sensitive to crass humor.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 9.1/10 - especially explosions.

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