User Reviews

From the trailers, I had come to expect quite a lot from the movie. Actually I had thought and believed the movie to be more than it actually was when I was done watching it. Now, I am not saying that the movie is bad or dull, far from it. The movie is pretty cool and fun, though there is nothing overly new and inventive about it. And that is what sort of made the movie a bit tame.

The storyline in "Paul" is good. An alien has crashed on Earth and now many, many years later he escapes from captivity and hits the road, where he accidentally bump into Graeme Willy and Clive Gollings. With the government in chase, Paul and his newfound friends are racing to get across USA and to get Paul home.

Right, well throughout the movie there was a bunch of subtle and not so subtle references to other movies. Many of these had me laughing, because they were hilarious and quite often in your face. And it was rather surreal to have a country/hillbilly band play the cantina band music from Star Wars, but it was hilarious.

As for the cast and the acting in the movie. Well, it has long been established that Simon Pegg (playing Graeme Willy) and Nick Frost (playing Clive Gollings) have amazing on-screen chemistry and they add a lot to each other. So it was nice to have another movie with them working together. Jason Bateman (playing agent Zoil; you will love his full name when it is revealed) also did a good job. He was cool and to the point, and his character was really awesome. Bill Hader (playing Haggard) and Joe Lo Truglio (playing O'Reilly) worked well together as a goofy police unit, and added some weird comedy to the movie. It was a shame that Sigourney Weaver (playing The Big Guy) had such a small role. But despite this, she always delivers a good performance. And I just loved what was said right after she got punched in the face. That was one of my favorite movie references in "Paul". Now, Seth Rogen (the voice of Paul) is not really one of my favorite actors, but he did a good job with the voice-acting in this movie.

For a comedy, don't expect to be laughing throughout the entire movie. The movie is driven by a good story and spiced with comedy here and there. Which in itself is a good combination, and it worked well for this movie.

Not to forget the CGIs in the movie. They were excellent. The character Paul was so nicely made, and the textures of his skin, face and eyes was off the charts. And those effects really helped carry the movie.

"Paul" is a great movie, though it is not Simon Pegg's and Nick Frost's best movie, it takes a lot to top "Shaun of the Dead". But it is a good enough attempt, and the movie works well enough all together. A movie with a great story, some laughs here and there, and it will take you out of this world.

It's been a long wait, but finally, for the first time since 2007 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up once again as the unstoppably funny duo. Their pairing this time isn't quite at the same quality of comedy as Hot Fuzz or Shaun of the Dead but let's face it, those two movies are comedy gold. Paul is still hilarious and it is rife with highly quotable jokes that you can laugh about for days. Plus it has plenty of great nerdy sci-fi humor that only us true geeks and catch on to. Paul follows two British tourists in America, Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) who are traveling cross-country to visit all of the most famous UFO sightings in America. While in Area 51 they pick up a hitchhiking alien named Paul who is excellently voiced by Seth Rogen. Graeme and Clive quickly learn that agreeing to protect this extraterrestrial is giving them a lot more than they bargained for as they are chased by the FBI, hillbillies, and a religious shotgun toting nut job.

If there's one thing I can commend Paul on, it's finally giving us the satisfaction of an R rated sci-fi comedy. The blend of the two genres is great and making it a vulgar, violent riot is just what fans needed with so many lame PG-13 comedies floating around these days. Pegg and Frost wrote a hilarious script for this movie, one that easily could have been ruined by a few edits to suit a PG-13 rating. But thankfully they got to keep it their way and give us something obscenely entertaining.

Paul isn't one of those profound comedies that breaks the barriers of typical comedy or goes unforgettably above and beyond, but it is really funny. The jokes are hilarious almost every time. It's not high brow comedy by any means and there are a number of fart jokes, gay jokes, poop jokes, and so on and so forth, but I can't say that they didn't make me laugh because I most certainly did. But as an added bonus the film is filled to the brim with sci-fi film references. They range from blatant, like a set of fireworks that make the Close Encounters of the Third Kind tone, to as subtle as the band in the bar playing the Mos Eisley cantina song from Star Wars. This has got to be one of the nerdiest scripts ever written, and I absolutely loved it. I'm sure there are a number of references I missed or didn't get, but that's just because every little thing is a reference to some sort of sci-fi film or theme. To quote the Brits, "It's brilliant!" There's no two ways about it, Paul is cast perfectly. Pegg and Frost are obviously excellent and you couldn't find a better duo of British nerds anywhere. Seth Rogen does a surprisingly good job voicing the alien, whose animations are also excellent and add a lot of comedy to the film. Other supporting characters are great in their roles, like Kristen Wiig playing the neurotic ex-Christian Ruth Buggs. Jason Bateman plays a straight man role as the FBI agent leading the chase after Paul and he is hilarious in his own deadpan way. Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio play two other FBI agents who make a hilarious little side pair of characters who have their own running jokes and quirks. Then there are tons of cameos from very recognizable actors such and Jeffrey Tambor, Janey Lynch, David Koechner, and even Sigourney Weaver. There's hardly an actor in this film that I don't go, "Hey! I recognize that guy" when I seem him or her.

Paul by no means transcends the comedy genre but it is no doubt funny. If you don't find at least some of the humor in this film amusing then there is something wrong with you. Sure it's cheesy at moments, OK it can be predictable at times, but as a comedy it really works and it gave me a solid hour and forty minutes of great entertainment. If you love a good R rated comedy, go see this movie, and if you're a sci-fi nerd you have to see this movie just for the fun of catching references. This is a great little comedy that is plenty of fun to watch.

I enjoyed this film quite a bit, it is a rare comedy that started kind of slowly, but continued to get more funny as it went on. Usually I find a lot of comedies start kind of fast then fade out kind of fast. This one has two Brits who are in the United States for comic con, the end all comic book, science fiction, horror and a whole heck of a lot more conventions. These particular two are into aliens and there to not only take in the sights and meet a favorite author, but to drive to some of the famous alien spots out in the west. Well they quickly run into some trouble with some local rednecks and then end up witnessing a very bad wreck. They go out to explore the scene and end up meeting Paul, an alien who is apparently on the run and in the need of assistance. During the course of their adventure the two Brits must keep Paul hidden from government agents and also deal with crazy religious fathers and all sorts of other things one tends to find on the road. Probably why I liked this one as I always enjoy a good traveling comedy of which this can certainly be classified as one. I also enjoy watching Simon Pegg and Nick Frost working together as they have a good chemistry. They are a couple of the few actors who I will watch a movie specifically because they are in it. I used to have a whole slew of actors and actresses like that, but these days not so much. The comedy is funny, like I said it started a bit slowly as I think the comic con scenes could have been a bit funnier, but it really got going once they met up with Paul. Not much of a Seth Rogen fan, but he did a fine job as the voice of Paul. So all in all a funny comedy that kept me entertained throughout.

Hilarious comedic duo, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are back this time in an American spoofish science-fiction adventure in Greg Mottola's 'Paul'. The sci-fi references (Alien, ET, Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, Star Wars, Aliens, Predator, etc) are done excellently and had me laughing out loud. Pegg and Frost are superb as they always are when working together.

They're effectively supported by the wonderful Kristin Wiig, the no-nonsense (to an extent) Jason Bateman and Bill Hader. Cameos by Jane Lynch and David Koechner are equally amusing. There's another sort of cameo that's revealed in the end and her presence is just the right way to round up a brilliant cast. Seth Rogan is less annoying than his usual on screen personas but he still is the weakest link here. He's pretty much his usual annoying on screen self even though his character is an alien and it is only the better performances of his co-stars that actually make Rogan appear less annoying.

Compared to Pegg and Frost's previous works ('Spaced', 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz') which in my opinion are classics, 'Paul' falls a little short. Some of the jokes, especially the toilet humour delivered by Rogan, fall flat. It's also lacking in wit. The pacing is a little slow in the first half but it picks up quickly in the latter portion. Plot holes are scattered throughout the movie.

In terms of execution, 'Paul' is quite well made. The title character looks amusing. The cross country location suits the setting. Cinematography is adequate.

'Paul' may not be a classic like 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' but it's still funny enough to be entertaining. Where there is Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, one can always expect to at least laugh.

I was on the Irish premier of the movie last Thursday with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost showing up and saying few words before the movie . First of all, I would like to say great cast especially Sigourney Weaver , Jason Bateman and my two mini stars of the movie Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio as agents Haggard and O'Reilly . The movie its self is very funny and the script well written , the small alien with voice from Seth Rogen its very real and well made by CG artists . Obviously the chemistry between Frost and Pegg is great like always ( you know what I'm saying if you remember Shaun of the dead or Hot Fuzz )Rogen as alien is a perfect cast with his IM SMOKING WEED voice and great lines . In summary well made , great cast , funny script what else do you need for Friday night . For me seven stars

I like a movie that can make something familiar feel fresh. Paul is this years Short Circuit, or Starman, or Maybe even Galaxy Quest. Its merger of crude/rude and witty comedy plus a cast where everyone brings their A-game, without going too far makes Paul a good watch.

Let's start with top billing. I'll be among the few to say that I didn't love either Nick Frost or Simon Pegg in the Hot Fuzz/Shawn of the Dead duo. They wrote themselves with too much 'sour' in mind and too much self-mockery. For this script, I think they nailed it. Here they are not simply goofs, they are likable goofs, the parts have been written with a few more 'straight' moments, and honesty to balance the satire.

The two of them are on an RV road trip in the south western states from Comic-Con to Roswell. Once in New Mexico however, they get perhaps a little more than they anticipated when they meet the survivor of a car crash in the middle of the night...a little green man, one who speaks English, has been on Earth since 1947, and is asking for a lift.

Paul is delightfully beyond the reach of reason. It's actually a million light years more absurd than Shawn of the dead and Hot Fuzz, so I felt a little more explanation would've helped. It's not too hard to draw conclusions about how Paul learnt English, but why is he speaking it like a punk? He has some really great lines, but he seems way too human for an Alien. Then again, if he wasn't the movie wouldn't be quite as funny.

As the movie starts to wrap up, it does so with a lot of spectacle (perhaps maybe a bit too much). A few too many guns get pointed bullets get fired for me, but at least the laughs keep coming which is important.

Paul, creaks a little here and there, but it is appetizing as a comedy with a buddy movie spirit and a good dose of sci-fi satire.

Paul is not perfect, but it is not as good as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. However I for one found it an enjoyable movie, and much better than people I know made it out to be. I mainly wanted to see it for the concept, which seemed fun and intriguing, and for the most part it was. The story is mostly fast-paced and entertaining, but there are some predictable moments with some gags going on for too long. Also while I loved Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids, I didn't find her character here anywhere near as well written or engaging this time round. However, Paul does look great and has an appealing soundtrack. A vast majority of the writing and gags are very funny and on target and the direction is well above average as well. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a well-matched pair, both are likable and their chemistry infectious, while Seth Rogan, an actor I don't really care for, is surprisingly good as Paul. Overall, far better than expected even with the flaws. 7/10 Bethany Cox

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!

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.

The British nerds and aspirant comic-book writers Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) travel to the Comic-Con in San Diego, California, to see their idol, Adam Shadowchild (Jeffrey Tambor), among other sci-fi attractions.

While driving to the Area 51, Nevada, in a road trip in the UFOs land, they meet the alien Paul that asks for help to reach the Area 51. They learn that Paul was captured by the military in 1947, in Wyoming, and kept prisoner in a base in a top-secret project. Paul has contacted his spacecraft that will rescue him but now he is chased by federal agents led by Agent Zoil (Jason Bateman). When they stop in a trailer area, they abduct the religious Ruth Buggs (Kristen Wiig) that changes her religious perspective to the scientific point of view after contacting Paul and she decides to join Graeme and Clive to help the alien. But their journey to Nevada with the agents and Ruth's father chasing them is dangerous.

"Paul" is a funny entertainment for the whole family with a humor that oscillates between the British irony and the American scatology. The lead actors Simon Pegg and Nick Frost repeat their performance of "Shaun of the Dead" in the role of two stupid best friends and they are hilarious. Paul is also very funny and I laughed a lot with the scene when he revives the bird. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Paul"

Shaun of the Dead – great. Hot Fuzz – brilliant. Paul, The third collaboration between the two best friends Simon Pegg and Nick Frost is another action-packed comedy featuring an alien, guns, and Jason Bateman. Unlike the previous films the pair starred in, Paul still has the strong bromance between the two but takes a turn to be more of what Scott Pilgrim Vs the World was instead of Hot Fuzz.

Scott Pilgrim – directed by Edgar Wright who also directed the first two films mentioned – was a geek-friendly action comedy. Paul is more of a geek-friendly comedy. It's crude, so think Superbad (Greg Mottola had directed that too) instead of Shaun. Then add the whole 'comic' tone of Scott Pilgrim – the great action scenes but less violent and amusing ones instead, and two geeks who are into comics rather than in the comic like Scott Pilgrim was. And add E.T gone comedy with the voice of Seth Rogen. Plus add a cameo from Sigourney Weaver. Then you have Paul, a geeky, clever, and very funny film but simultaneously you then have its problem.

As you could probably figure from the description above, the problem being said is that Paul tries to pack too much in during the encounter with the alien itself. The running time is a perfect 104 minutes. But by the end of those 104 minutes, there are several suggested sub- plots and alternate directions that could have been taken to reach the destination. One sub-plot involves Paul shattering Ruth's (Kristen Wiig) faith. It's an odd film to have a religious subtext in and it will maybe have questions thrown at in terms of what message is trying to be said. Nevertheless, those 104 minutes are brimmed with pure entertainment and the plot is established enough to make sense and not take a wrong turn.

With an ensemble cast, what makes Paul especially hilarious is how every character in the film has a moment of comedy gold. That includes Adam Stevenson – famous writer whom they meet at a Comic-Con festival and simply has five on-screen minutes. Five amusing on-screen minutes. Pegg and Frost are as funny as they were before, fizzing chemistry over Area 51, still the brilliant duo that work better than Pegg and Andy Serkis did in Pegg's last film Burke and Hare. They're buddies with mutual buddy-love that are better together than most odd pairings. It's (probably) guaranteed that they will stay as the best British duo even off-screen as Thomson and Thompson in the upcoming Tintin film which is to be directed by veteran sci-fi director Steven Spielberg. It's reported that Pegg and Frost said that Paul was a love letter to Spielberg – it sure is an amusing one, and is certainly the best Valentine-themed film this Valentine's Day.

The pair wrote the screenplay for this film – so expect many contemporary references – plenty of sci-fi ones – and clever gags. At times, the jokes can feel a little self indulgent; inside jokes that would probably confuse most and only careful listeners can interpret the clever jokes. The majority of the script, however, is a laugh-a-minute ride with some recurring jokes that become funnier and funnier throughout. Paul's part of the script gives a big L to The Green Hornet; Seth Rogen was much funnier off screen. The actor was miscast as the green superhero so there were dreads of him being miscast as this green amiable alien but kudos to Pegg and Frost because this was the perfect script for Rogen to show that The Green Hornet's failed hilarity wasn't detrimental. Looking at another view, if Rogen was the screenwriter for Paul, then maybe it would have been of the dull standard of the Hornet unless he can still write something on par with Superbad. Imagine that.

Paul may be a funnier film for the more clever/geeky viewer. If that's the case, the words 'Cult Following' can be seen written all over it. For all other audience, Pegg and Frost haven't diminished in their comedy quality from their previous films even though Paul may be broader than either of them. If Scott Pilgrim was the geekiest film of last year, Paul definitely wins that title for this year. It may not be an Out of This World film (pun partially intended) but lays claim to the most hilarious film of 2011 yet.

Verdict: Your money's worth – Paul is the funniest film there has been in ages.

It's been 60 years since Paul has been a visitor on planet earth. Being imprisoned in a Military facility for a long time the green guy (Paul the Alien), finds a way out. He escapes god knows how, and flees in the first vehicle he comes across. Unable to reach the pedal at the wheel Paul Swirls and finds himself in a fatal car crash, which was pretty much self-inflicted! Graeme and Clive two hardcore comic fans just happen to be taking a road trip across the states exploring area 51 in the greater Americas. Just so happens that Paul just like clockwork crashes right in front of them and so the friendship begins. Fleeing from the law is not an easy task if you're an alien I would say, not far behind in agent Zoil hot on their tail trying to bring Paul back in. Clive and Graeme make it their own concern as they earnestly try to save the little guy and send him back home. The choices they make are fairly unorthodox, but effective.

Written by Nick Frost & Simon Pegg, this alienated comedy is just what you are about to expect as per the trailer. Slapstick comedy, fast pacing and at times downright stupid; yet that is the genius comedy that makes this a fun to watch movie by the entire family if you're above 18! Some language and content seem to have brought upon R MPAA rating which personally I felt is a bit too much, taking into consideration the gist of storyline. Yet; that's just how it is! Director Greg Mottala (Superbad, Adventurland) who is known for his funny approach to movies does a sheer marvelous job on this hilarious sci fi comedy. A personal favorite of mine was the blowing up of the house! Without giving it all away, I need to say, simple but satisfying! Nick Frost, Simon Pegg & Jason Bateman. What a lovely combination of talent. The two Englishmen and the New Yorker does a fantastic job and keeps the movie and very fast pace. Seth Rogen does a perfect Paul, and his voice just livens up the lines in a manner that even some dialogues that are serious sounds funny.

It has been a while since I have been entertained on a Sci Fi comedy. As a critic at times one becomes to analytical, however there are a few productions that just go by me that deserve to be viewed in the intent it was scripted. The reason I chose to say this is the result of conversations where some believe that there is no depth in the characters and there was no intricate plot progression. That's when to the best of my knowledge, I shifted my paradigms and made an effort to align it with what presumably were in the hearts and the minds of the director and the writers. If you manage to do so you will enjoy the story of "Paul". If you are a fan of entertainment and allow room for some sci fi stupidity which is eventually a farce this for sure is one of those to sit back and watch with family or a few of your close buddies.

Title: Paul Directed by: Greg Mottala Starring: Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Jason Bateman & Seth Rogen Rated: Rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use. Rating: 07/10 109 Minutes

Actually I never really was all that interested in seeing "Paul", since it just looked like a bit of a lame and simplistic comedy to me, even though I of course really like other Nick Frost and Simon Pegg movies. I however kept hearing really good things about this movie so I decided to give it a chance, which was something I really don't regret.

Let's start off by saying that "Paul" is a great comedy. It made me laugh from start till finish and it was being way more clever and also more subtle than its trailer made it seem.

It's basically an homage to the geekdom and references a lot of fan favorite '70's and '80's movies, from often the science-fiction genre. But thing with the references are that it aren't the usual obvious ones but more the ones you'll only catch and get when you have actually seen the movie they are referencing. It's what mostly makes the movie so much fun to watch. Maybe this is also why this movie wasn't that well liked and received by just everybody. Lots of people won't get most of the inside jokes but actually I'm still convinced about it that it isn't really a must to get everything this movie is referencing in order to really like it and to laugh at its jokes as well.

It's not just referencing lots of genre movies but also to its style. Really, in lots of ways this movie has Spielberg's '70's and '80's style written all over it. Funny thing is that Spielberg himself actually has a cameo in this movie as well, in which he isn't afraid to poke fun at some of his own movies.

There is something with its story. I don't now, it's hard to really put my finger on it but it maybe seems to me that the script they worked with was a first draft of something that could had turned into something truly great. I feel they could had taken things a bit further. It's often being clever with its references and inside jokes but the main story itself is only just so-so. On the one hand its a lot of fun but on the other it also perhaps feels a bit underdeveloped.

The movie its story also sparks some controversy by kicking against Christianity. I can see how this movie can be quite an offensive one to some people. And lets face it, was this really necessary for its story? In my opinion really not. The movie could had really easily done without it and I can even say that it sort of made the story drag at times. But again, this might be due to it that the story feels sort of underdeveloped. They could had perhaps taken it somewhere interesting or funny but it just never quite gets there.

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg do a great job portraying two nerdy characters, without the glasses or silly voices. They are being the more true, more common and modern nerd, of which there are actually so many off. They represent the little nerd that is in all of us and they are so easy to identify with, for most movie lovers. The movie is filled with some other great actors as well and also has some cameo's in it from well known actors. But it's not up to a point that it becomes distracting from the movie and it's actually weaved quite nicely into the movie its story and developments.

Paul himself, who got voiced by Seth Rogen, is great and realistic looking. I was actually worried because he never really looked that convincing in the trailers and I was also worried about how the interacting between him and the 'real' actors would work out. But as it turned out, everything went incredibly smoothly. Paul actually became a really great and solid character and was being just one of the 'guys', as if he wasn't being a CGI created character at all.

I was really close to really loving this movie but there are still a bit too many inconsistencies and weaknesses in it to truly consider this to be a perfect movie or an absolute must-see.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

First of all, I love big train, spaced, shaun of the dead and hot fuzz, and maybe i had too high expectations of Paul, but it is the weakest thing Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have done to date.

I'm a sci-fi and comics nerd, and to be fair the last half an hour of the film was the best with plenty of referential lines to other sci-fi movies.

Maybe the lack of edgar wright showed too much, but the story was very very weak, which would be OK if there were plenty of gags to keep the audience amused, but shot after shot of a camper van going by gets dull really quickly.

The other disappointing thing was how weak the friendship between the two main characters was. Nick & Simon have done this perfectly in Spaced, Shaun and Hot Fuzz and here it was just a watered down version of work done better elsewhere.

No clever shots, close-ups and cuts to other scenes, it does seem to be geared towards a more main stream audience, which in itself is odd considering the subject matter and in-jokes. disappointment Overall I have to say this was a disappointment. They should re-team up with edgar wright for their next movie outing.

Can't tell if I laughed more this time around because it is a comedy that pulled no stops on certain jokes and I miss that, or I just understood the jokes more now. Either way, I thought it was hilarious.

I loved this movie. Have been a fan of Pegg and Frost since Shaun of the Dead and enjoy their genius ability to spoof a genre and still make a thoroughly entertaining and funny movie

This time it's ET, Close Encounters .. , Alien and others that are lined up and blown out of the water, along with Roswell the FBI and comic book and gaming nerds. but all done with impeccably good British taste and style.

Seth Rogan (and I'm not usually a fan of his) is superb as the voice of the Alien Paul of the title, and a cameo from Sigourney Weaver complete a superb cast who all acquit themselves well.

The story is set around two British nerds doing a UFO themed tour of the US which starts at a Comic-Con convention. As they take to the road they encounter Paul who is being pursued by 'agents'. The chase heats up and other kooky characters join in and become part of the ensuing mayhem. I'll say no more... go see.

My only complaint is the overuse of bad language expletives far too often, and although effective on a few occasions are, largely unnecessary. and detract from an otherwise excellent script.

After a few weeks of having watched this movie, here are my comments: In attempting to spoof many various Sci-Fi classics-the works of Steven Spielberg, who cameos his voice here, in particular-there's plenty to be amused by and some moments of hilarity but the results are mainly scattershot in trying to make a cohesive whole comedy. Still, I was pretty entertained by the likes of the movie's creators in the starring roles as well as by Kristen Wiig's role as an initial religious doubter becoming more open to alien truths (at least, according to the movie's version of it). Jason Bateman also provides a role in which we don't know which side he's on until nearly the end. It's also nice to see Blythe Danner-Gwyneth Paltrow's mom-featured in another major feature. And the voice of the title character as provided by Seth Rogen provides it's own charm. There's also a surprise appearance of an actress familiar with these kinds of movies that wasn't too hard to figure out that provided some pleasures. Still, Paul is uneven in providing non-stop laughs. On that note, it's at least worth a look.

If you didn't like this movie, you either don't possess a sense of humor, and/or you hate SciFi.

Great pop culture references. Ensemble cast was fantastic. For those criticizing the portrayal of Christians... This is a comedy. People need to stop being so sensitive and laugh at yourselves.

You'll never get everyone to agree on a movie, but the critiques on this site aren't warranted.

If you enjoyed 'Shaun of the Dead', 'Hot Fuzz', or any of the other Simon Pegg & Nick Frost movies, you will enjoy 'Paul'. ESPECIALLY if you grew up loving 'Star Wars', 'Star Trek', and the 'Alien' franchises. Love this movie!

In my opinion, PAUL has a lot of similarities to the 2008 film FANBOYS. Both of these films are geek-centric with a lot of the laughs coming from the references to classic science fiction. Whereas FANBOYS relied on these references for pretty much 100% of the humor and would alienate any non (or even casual) STAR WARS fan, PAUL is more accessible to people who might not get all the winks and nods. It's definitely feels like another "by geeks, for geeks" film but the characters and the story are fun enough for general audiences to have a good time. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are Graeme and Clive, a couple of English geeks on vacation in America for Comic Con. After indulging in their fandom at the Con, Graeme and Clive rent an RV for a tour of the west's UFO hotspots. Plans are interrupted by the chance meeting with Paul, an alien who has escaped from a government installation. Paul's ready to leave Earth, but the government has got other plans for him. The trio take off on a road trip to get Paul to his rendezvous point while Agent Zoil and his two government cronies try to track them down.

PAUL is a funny movie. It's good for some chuckles and it's got a feel-good vibe. It's not a hilarious film. I'm not even sure I truly laughed at any point in the movie. Cracked plenty of smiles, sure, but the humor is pretty tame here. It's not as excessive as FANBOYS, but a lot of the funny bits are just the throwbacks to movies like BACK TO THE FUTURE, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, and of course STAR WARS. Paying homage to a beloved film is great, but it's tough to make a consistently funny movie with it. The remainder of the humor comes from excessive vulgarity. I've got nothing against vulgar language in movies and, when done right, can add extra flavor (e.g. PULP FICTION, CLERKS.). Here it's just tossed out and assumed that the audience will laugh at anything "dirty". A lot of Paul's character is just how vulgar he is. Sure, it's funny at first...a little grey alien spouting curse words...but it only goes so far. Kristen Wiig is sort of wasted here. She's an excellent comedienne and her character's main quirk is her clumsy cursing. And it's a running gag that just keeps going and going long after it's stopped being amusing.

I have a lot of questions when I think back about this movie. How much better would it have been if Edgar Wright had directed? Would it have actually worked better if they'd gone with a PG-13 rating so the filmmakers could've focused on writing better jokes. The cast is great, regardless. It's always awesome to see Simon Pegg and Nick Frost together on screen. Seth Rogen is the voice of Paul. I really didn't know what to expect at first. Rogen has a very distinct voice and I thought it'd be weird for him to voice the title character, but Rogen's voice acting and excellent CG turn Paul into a great character. Wiig, despite suffering from poor dialogue, is lovable as ever. The movie's fun and the characters are enjoyable. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't worth a viewing, especially if you are a fan of the sci-fi classics since this movie is loaded with love for them. PAUL's problem isn't that it doesn't entertain, it's that it's not too memorable. After seeing it in theaters, I'd actually forgotten all about it until I saw the home video ads.

Holy mother of alien, what an amazing cast. I have never before been surprised by a movie so much. Didn't really know anything about the movie before I've seen it and it turned out to be pretty unique. I mean a religion-bashing comedy with a couple of geeks, an alien and explosions? Slap me with a donkey beard.

I bet you will have fun watching this; even if it's not your cup of tea, you'll still have a couple of chuckles at the very least. The plot is surprisingly good (unlike what you'd expect in a comedy), now add pro-class acting and an awesome CGI alien with super cute eyes and you got a super fun times guarantee.

When they were promoting Paul, I had heard Pegg and Frost discussing the film and they made a comment regarding the fact that nobody was just going to give them 50 million dollars and let them do whatever they wanted to do at risk of a loss. Also in their minds I would guess was the fact that colleague Edgar Wright had been given freedom to make Scott Pilgrim which, although really good, didn't perform box office wise. As a result of this comment I was sort of prepared for this film not quite to be as British or as smart as their previous work on things like Hot Fuzz and of course Spaced; turned out I was right to be ready for this but wrong to assume it would make a bad movie.

Paul isn't a bad movie at all, it is just a pretty average and mainstream one. The laughs are solid and the action enjoyable but it does rather lack edge and bite when it has the opportunity to do so. Instead it seemed much more mainstream and easy than I expected it to be. The film really only takes shots at far right Christian extremism and they probably weren't going to be queuing up for this film in the first place. Outside of this the film goes for good general laughs so we have a rude alien who is essentially Seth Rogen and lots of action with comedy blended in – and it gets these good general laughs and produces a perfectly fine mainstream comedy. Sci-fi references are throughout the film but even these are hardly very clever or obscure (even my girlfriend got most of them); I still found them funny but again I got the feeling that the film was trying to make sure that it was as broadly appealing as possible, as opposed to the slightly more arch comedy that the two have done previously.

It does still work though because I laughed more than I expected to and even when I didn't it had a broadly amusing tone to it that entertained me and kept the mode consistent. A big part of this is that Rogen's Paul actually works well. Primarily as an effect he is great because you quickly forget he is an effect. Secondly though he works because he is likable and funny – and I say this as someone who can take or leave Seth Rogen's limited range. He is a good character and he has good presence. Pegg and Frost play it safe mostly. Pegg appears to be channelling Ricky Gervais' awkwardness but not to as much success – he is good but he has been better elsewhere. Frost plays his usual shaggy-dog character and he also does reasonably well with it even if some of his material isn't up to much. Wiig is nice in support and her unconvincing cursing is very convincing. Bateman was enjoyable as ever (he deadpans up there with the best of them), Weaver allows for several good sci-fi references and the support cast feature turns from Lynch, Tambor, Koechner and a few others doing solids.

Overall I expected little from Paul but yet it was funny and enjoyable. The laughs were solid but outside of them it kept its tone well and made for a mostly safe and enjoyable mainstream comedy. I hope that both Pegg and Frost benefit from it though – and benefit in terms of a little bit more trust and freedom because Spaced, Hot Fuzz, Shaun and so on all show they can produce classics when given the chance. Paul is not one of their classic but by all means it is a really enjoyable mainstream comedy.