“Paul” is a pastiche of the alien encounter genre. Unlikely heroes come into contact with an alien and are forced to take a journey of self-discovery and outrun the government, all in order to make sure the alien gets home safely. What makes “Paul” unique is its shamelessness. The movie is funny because of how derivative it is. The movie willingly tips its hat to acknowledge its inspiration along the way, which comes from movies like, “The Day The Earth Stood Still” and “ET: The Extra-Terrestrial.”
The cast, led by Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, turn in very funny performances. As usual, Seth Rogen, who lends his voice to the wayward alien, Paul, plays a vulgar slacker. But his lines take on a hint of bizarre wisdom when coming from the computer-generated alien.
If you’re a fan of the alien genre, “Paul” is for you. It seems like it’s destined to become a cult-classic dissection of a reliable Hollywood formula the same way 2009’s “Fanboys” provided an esoteric examination of the “Star Wars” saga.
This movie is rated R. I was surprised when I saw that on my ticket because nothing in the trailers gave me the impression that this is an R rated movie. But it certainly earns its rating through vulgar language. I still can’t believe how many little kids (we’re talking “under 10”) were in the audience. Parents and guardians beware: This ET has a potty-mouth.
4 UFOs out of 5!
Written by Tim
Edited by Aaron
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