Genres

Visitors Review

Liam Lacey 2012-05-24 18:25:48

The results, it must be said, are less hi-larious than sporadically mid-to-low-larious.

thomvic 2012-05-24 09:39:35

A great ride and shouldn't be taken too seriously

When you go into a movie starring buddies Simon Pegg and Nick Frost(Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) you know what to expect with theirtype of films.And who's really complaining? I'm sure not going to. Paul is nothingvery original, nor is it an unpredictable story but it's a comedy thattakes you on the ride and makes you have a good time while you'rethere. Contrasting two British actors amongst the weirdness of desertlike America (supposedly near Area 51) is a great setting.Simon and Nick play two comic book obsessed geeks who make their way toa comic book convention in San Diego. On a road trip to visit the lesstouristy areas such as Area 51, Nevada etc, they encounter Paul, analien who acts more human than most aliens who is on the run fromagents and a mysterious woman who we only hear her voice. Paul is on amission to get back to his spaceship away from 'The Big Guy' and hopson the two guys RV Van. Along the way ,they pick up religious, nonswearing Ruth (Kristen Wiig) who is almost a Jennifer Anniston lookalike in this movie. Their mission is to get Paul away from the badguys back to his spaceship.Sounds silly doesn't it? That's because it is meant to be but it allworks, probably because of the performances and the contrast of twocharacters who are in a very foreign land outside of Great Britain,where their comfort zone is. The landscape of America in this filmlooks great, with some nice cinematography that adds to the feel of achase movie at the same time.The references to other alien films such as Close Encounters of theThird Kind. E.T and in a way Alien as well just make you laugh,especially if you understand it – luckily I did. However, it does feelsometimes that it needs to add these references in to get some morelaughs from the audience – and while it does, some parts of the filmfeel very forced in humour. For example one scene where Paul poses as aprop in a souvenir store and one of the cops checks him out wanting tosee an alien penis.Another theme it explores surprisingly is also one of religion, thoughis careful not to come to any strong conclusions on it. This is whereRuth's character comes in questioning her beliefs on gods, blasphemy,fornication etc. And I can see how for some people, this won't agree toeveryone's liking but if you don't take it too seriously, then itshouldn't bother you too much.Nicely handled with some clever scripting makes this an enjoyable filmthat doesn't take itself seriously which is where it gets its charm.Watch out for a cameo appearance from Glee Star Jane Lynch as an ownerof a café, while also making reference to her sexuality in the endcredits.

Aaron1375 2012-05-23 13:26:13

Simon Peg and Nick Frost team up with an alien for a rather funny film.

I enjoyed this film quite a bit, it is a rare comedy that started kindof slowly, but continued to get more funny as it went on. Usually Ifind 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, theend all comic book, science fiction, horror and a whole heck of a lotmore conventions. These particular two are into aliens and there to notonly take in the sights and meet a favorite author, but to drive tosome of the famous alien spots out in the west. Well they quickly runinto some trouble with some local rednecks and then end up witnessing avery bad wreck. They go out to explore the scene and end up meetingPaul, an alien who is apparently on the run and in the need ofassistance. During the course of their adventure the two Brits mustkeep Paul hidden from government agents and also deal with crazyreligious fathers and all sorts of other things one tends to find onthe road. Probably why I liked this one as I always enjoy a goodtraveling comedy of which this can certainly be classified as one. Ialso enjoy watching Simon Pegg and Nick Frost working together as theyhave a good chemistry. They are a couple of the few actors who I willwatch a movie specifically because they are in it. I used to have awhole slew of actors and actresses like that, but these days not somuch. The comedy is funny, like I said it started a bit slowly as Ithink the comic con scenes could have been a bit funnier, but it reallygot going once they met up with Paul. Not much of a Seth Rogen fan, buthe did a fine job as the voice of Paul. So all in all a funny comedythat kept me entertained throughout.

Mike Kiker 2012-05-23 07:17:09

Perfect crossover of the Pegg/Frost and Judd Apatow camps

I loved this movie. Plain and simple. It's a solid comedy. But it'salso a great road trip film, it's got real legitimate drama, and it'sjust got a great story in general.Personally, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost can (almost) do no wrong (ahem..."How To Lose Friends and Alienate People"... ahem... "Star Trek"...ahem...). "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" are two of my favoritecomedies. I don't get why some people are bashing this film justbecause Edgar Wright didn't direct it. Greg Mottola did a fantasticjob. I'm not so sure this movie would have been so radically differenthad Wright directed it anyway. What matters is that Pegg and Froststill wrote it and the story, the acting, and the characterdevelopment, big parts of the Pegg/Frost/Wright films, are all stillhere.Speaking of the acting, this film threw some great players like SethRogen, Bill Hader, Joe Lo Truglio, Kristen Wiig, and Jason Bateman intosome really fantastic roles. Yeah, the only real "fault" that I foundwith this film (if you can even call it that) is that, at first, someof the characters come off as cliché. We've got the dumb rookie cops,the overzealous veteran, the boss looking to get a job done no matterthe cost, the geeks, the damsel in distress, the abusive father, butout of these clichés come characters of depth who in some way we canall understand their motivations, with the notable exception forSigourney Weaver's character. She's not given much screen time, but sheseemed to suffer from the same problem that befell Stephen Lang'scharacter from "Avatar". After a while the motivation disappears andthey just want to shoot and kill stuff, just because they're the badguy. But once again, that's really the only problem I had with themovie.I also found the central character of 'Paul' to be the best part of themovie. He's not just another special effect like Jar Jar Binks or thebadly inserted Jabba The Hut from the Special Edition of the first StarWars movie. He's actually a well fleshed-out character that makes meforget that he's an effect at all. And some have faulted him for being"too human" by having Seth Rogen's voice and picking up human traitslike swearing and smoking, but you also have to consider the fact thathe's been on Earth, cooped up in a military base for over 60 years.The references in this film are all so well placed and well timed. I'mnot going to give any away, but for the most part, when the referencesare made, they will absolutely have you laughing, if you're up on yourscience fiction films. And even if you're just a casual movie-goer, youmay still enjoy them anyway.Now if you're religious in any way and really don't like it whensomebody who doesn't believe in god offers up his 2 cents, then youmight just wanna go right ahead and skip the rest of this review andclick on the 'not helpful' button.I was happy that somebody finally considered the possibility of whatdiscovering aliens might mean for our outdated belief systems here onthe planet Earth. As someone who went to 12 years of Catholic school,and then afterward (almost literally) being hit over the head with ahigh energy dose of the real world, it scared the sh*t out of me thateverything that I had been taught is pretty much wrong, outdated, andharmful to the human race, and that the universe is so much bigger thanwe can imagine and that the beliefs of the smartest apes on one tinyblue planet situated in the spiral arm of just one galaxy in a cosmosof billions upon billions of galaxies really doesn't matter in thegrand scheme of things, and whatever deity we had shoved down ourthroats during our childhood, probably doesn't exist, at least as weknow it.For me, they captured that shock and realization on film perfectly, inthe scene when Paul gives Ruth the extent of his knowledge (was that aDoctor Who reference, Simon and Nick?) and the way her characterfinally opens her eyes (with a little assistance from Paul) to rationalthought. And despite what you may think, no, I'm not trying to makeeveryone on the planet atheists, that would be irrational and spiteful.But people need to start waking up, and it's a breath of fresh air tofinally see that some people in the film industry no longer have theirheads up their (where the sun don't shine).Also, some have faulted Kristen Wiig's character, Ruth, for cursing wayto much after she receives Paul's knowledge. Yeah, it's annoying, butyou still have to realize that she was a backwoods evangelicalChristian who has been suppressed all of her life and is now finallywaking up to the realization that none of that matters! If you were inthe same situation, you'd curse like a sailor too! And just as badly ifyou never knew how to curse before. Also, I'd like to thank Wiig (orwhoever was truly responsible) for the phrase "Dick Milk"! That washilarious!Anyway, if you are still reading and/or haven't given me a 'nothelpful' response yet because of what I just said, then take it fromme. I left the theater smiling. I was thoroughly entertained by thismovie in more ways than one. If you're a fan of any of the people thatI just mentioned, a fan and believer in aliens, or at least have anopen mind, then go see "Paul".

Angus T. Cat 2012-05-22 13:05:19

Cute, but not very satirical

My hubby and I were looking forward to seeing "Paul". We thought Shaunof the Dead and Hot Fuzz were hysterical (especially for the greatperformance of Elvis the Swan). We enjoyed "Paul" but we didn't find itas funny as Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's earlier films. We thought itwas a gentle comedy, about right for a Sunday afternoon.The opening sequence at Comic Con in San Diego was a winner, full ofsharp observation. Once it left the Comic Con, "Paul" developed veryslowly. My hubby noticed that nobody in the audience laughed during thefirst twenty minutes.The special effects were very good: the CGI was impressive. It was easyto believe that Paul was another actor in the scenes. We enjoyed thereferences to classic sci fi films, like the band in the bar playingthe song from the cantina in Star Wars. The reference to "Mac and Me"was especially funny; it's great to see a nod to obscure alien films aswell as famous ones.We loved how "Hot Fuzz" lampooned the "mystery in a small town" plot,and how "Shaun of the Dead" poked fun at the conventions of zombieflicks. The alien of "Paul", like his appearance, really wasn't allthat surprising. We've seen slacker aliens who swear and smoke potbefore, like Roger in "American Dad". I liked how Paul spent his timeon Earth advising the American government and contributing to sciencefiction films and TV shows. I also liked how Paul challenged thefundamentalist characters' beliefs about the universe. But Paul reallydidn't do much else that was unpredictable. It would have been muchfunnier and much more interesting if Paul presented another world viewother than American, and other than Sci Fi Nerd.By the way, I am very tired of aliens landing on Earth speakingEnglish. There was a commerical several years ago that had alienslanding speaking Swiss German. Why not? There have been UFO sightingsall over the world: I'm skeptical that the U.S. (and Hollywood) ownsaliens.

Raph 2012-05-22 10:09:31

Funny... and touching.

Personally, this was a bit of a disappointment because I was reallyexpecting a typical Pegg-Frost comedy and somewhere the craziness ofShaun Of The Dead and Hot Fuzz seemed lost here making Paul a moreaccessible film for the wider audience. With a number of subtle and attimes in- your-face obvious references to Sci-fi in popular culturethis makes for a joy ride for fans while lay-men will still realize thehumor in those bits. At times the film does touch upon the classicPegg-Frost humor but such instances feel vaguely half-baked and is abit of a turn-off. Think of it more as a Sci-fi action adventure andyou should be fine. All in all, it's funny and yet manages to touchyour heart at some level. A rude, foul mouthed, lovable alien? Hell,why not?

Devin Faraci 2012-05-22 03:37:22

Paul's a road movie where the joy of hanging out with the characters is half the point, and these are characters that would be fun to revisit again and again.

mrjediu 2012-05-21 06:51:01

Anti-Christian content ruined the movie for me

I just rented the movie Paul. I was expecting to see a movie similar toGalaxy Quest, which, being a Star Trek fan, I found hilarious. Paul hada great plot. The characters played well off each other and there werea lot of funny scenes. But toward the middle of the film it introduced a strong anti-Christiancontent that ruined the movie for me. It was straight up offensive andit wasn't necessary. It added nothing to the plot. The film would havebeen so much better without it. Why would someone want to insult theiraudience? I watch a film to be entertained. And Paul would have been veryentertaining had it not been for the anti-Christian slap in the facethat pervaded the second half of the film. This wasn't well thoughtout.

2012-05-21 13:50:13

Hilarious movie

It was the ultimate Sci-Fi/ Comedy. I've never seen so many comedic and science fiction actors in one movie ever. Lots of members from SNL and the legendary Sigourney Weaver. Seth Rogen was really funny and believable. Jason Bateman's dry humor really comes out strong. The quality of the animation was awesome, especially on the Blu-Ray copy. Full length featurettes with boat loads of behind the scenes footage. That's the most important part when you buy a dvd, seeing how it was made and designed. Directed by Greg Mottola who did Superbad so it has the Indie feel but with a big budget. Well worth the money.Also the 6 degrees of separation is crazy in this film, everyone is tied together through some king of television show. Jason Bateman in Arrested development plays the son of Jeffrey Tambor who is also in the film as a Comic Con writer and Jane Lynch guest starred on a few episodes opposite of Jeffrey as an undercover agent.

2012-05-20 16:57:05

Paul DVD

This review is from: Paul (Unrated & Theatrical Versions) (DVD) This movie did not do very well at the box office - maybe it is like Sean of the Dead (same actors) - I think both movies were very funny and well done. I really liked Paul - very clever movie that is just fun to watch.

2012-05-20 00:39:22

Equivalent of a love letter to every movie featuring the mysteries of the great unknown: outer space.

Judge Patrick Naugle, DVD Verdict-- Now comes Paul, which isn't as good as either of their previous efforts but still gets more right than it gets wrong. Pegg and Frost collaborated on the screenplay while Greg Mottola (who helmed the amusing Superbad) took over the directing reigns from Wright. The finished product is a goofy, silly slacker alien comedy that never takes itself too seriously. It's hard not to have an endearing love for a movie that features a lot of jokes about an alien's 'junk'.Paul's best laughs come from its smaller moments, especially between Pegg and Frost. At this point it feels as if the two actors are (to steal a Kevin Smith phrase) "heterosexual life mates," and their banter is often side splitting and touching at the same time. It's rare that a movie can take two actors and make you believe they are best friends; since Pegg and Frost are buddies in real life, it's an easy transition that works in the movie's favor. Seth Rogan as the title character is funny, although it's sometimes hard to look past Rogan's very dense and familiar persona and see a character behind Paul's eyes. It's to Rogan's credit that after a while I was able to get into Paul's groove and actually care about his eventual outcome.Another reason for Paul's success is that it features a talented supporting cast. Saturday Night Live seems to have its paws all over this film, with Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader taking on supporting roles (both are funny, though Wiig's character grates after a while). Jason Bateman is at his deadpan best as an agent trying to find Paul; Bateman is quickly becoming the go-to guy in blockbuster comedies lately, and for good reason--he's funny. Amusingly, there are two very funny cameos in the film that will tickle movie buffs, neither of which I will spoil in this review except to say that their connection to this film makes a lot of sense once you see and hear them.Paul's only real misstep is that it sometimes revels too heavily and lengthily in slacker humor, almost at times to the breaking point. Pot jokes abound (note to filmmakers and Seth Rogan: we get it, you like to smoke weed...now let's move on) and the profanity in the film, while never offensive, wears thin especially with Kristen Wiig's character. The screenplay sometimes oversteps its bounds by allowing jokes to pop up one too many times (characters fainting after seeing an alien is funny once; four times, not so much) and taking too many malicious jabs at religion (again, amusing at first but that wears thin fast). Yet, these are mostly nitpicks; what the movie does, it usually does very well.I readily enjoyed Paul; it's a movie that doesn't try too hard to be likable and, while it's not a classic, it's still a lot of fun with good effects work (the character of Paul is believable even when you know he's just an onscreen computer graphic) and enough sci-fi geekiness to placate fanboys and regular viewers. Here's hoping Pegg and Frost keep making movies; they're a couple of true diamonds in the rough.Paul is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen in 1080p resolution. Universal's work on this hi-def picture is excellent and pleasing to the eye. The movie isn't overly flashy (even though it has its fair share of special effects work), but even without all the razzmatazz (finally I got to use the word "razzmatazz" in a sentence!) this is an excellent looking picture. There's nary a speck of dust, dirt or any other imperfection in the image. Whatever you may think of this movie, the fact remains that Paul sparkles on Blu-ray.The soundtrack is presented in a fun, rollicking DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that features heavy use of the side, rear and front speakers. There are many moments during Paul where the action dictates a lot of surround sound effects that are both exciting and comedic (especially the music score by David Arnold, who also coincidentally composed the score for Independence Day). Dialogue, effect and music are all evenly recorded and well mixed. Overall both the video and audio presentations are top notch. Also included on this disc are soundtracks in DTS 5.1 in French and Spanish, as well as English, French and Spanish subtitles.There are a fair amount of extra features included on this edition of Paul, including an amusing commentary track by director Greg Mottola, producer Nira Park and actors Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and Bill Hader; a rather extensive 'making of' featurette titled "Between the Lightening Strikes: The Making of Paul" (which included cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage); eight behind-the-scenes featurettes ("RV Doorway: The Cast of Paul On-Location," "Runway Santa Fe: An Interview with Nancy Steiner," "Smithereens," "5th Date Level Direction: The Cast on Greg Mottola," "Mexico Zero: The Locations of Paul," "The Many Pauls," "Paul the Musical" and "The Traveler Beagle) that highlight everything from locations to CGI effects to the casting of the film; a 15 minute featurette on the visual effect of the film ("The Evolution of Paul"); a very short featurette on the Jeffrey Tambor character Adam Shadowchild ("Who The Hell is Adam Shadowchild"),\; a blooper reel; "Simon's Silly Faces" (exactly what it sounds like);six galleries of photos and behind-the-scenes snapshots; some trailers and TV spots; BD Live features and a bonus digital copy/DVD of the film.Note: two versions of the film are included, a 104 minutes theatrical cut and a 110 minutes "Director's Cut."-Full review at dvdverdict,com

denisdennehy 2012-05-19 19:11:48

Enjoyable in the usual British film made for America kind of way...

I enjoyed this film, I caught myself laughing out loud a couple oftimes, and spent most of the film with a happy grin on my face.There is often something very different about British comedies financedby and made for America. The good side is they have some kind of happygrin warmness to them that I like. The negative side is that the cut ofreal British humour is often removed. During Paul I could not help (asI happily smiled along) that Pegg and Frost were holding back. For alot of jokes I wanted to to carry on and 'finish it off' - follow thejoke to its cruller, harsher, ruder, British end. So, how was this "British American" comedy? I enjoyed it. If foundfunny but too long whereas this was about right. The jokes wereconstant, and I left the cinema happy to recommend the film to friends.So... yep, I'd recommend you to go and see this film - you'll leave theCinema with a happy grin, although maybe not aching from laughter.

d-maxsted 2012-05-19 08:13:18

Comedy At Its Very Best

Now and then a film emerges and does everything it is meant to do,makesyou laugh from start to finish. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have done itagain and I am oh so pleased we don't have to wait a lifetime betweenthem getting together to work on a new project,the chemistry betweenthem is simply magic,one could almost call them the Laurel and Hardy ofthe 21st Century. Throw in Seth Rogan and Sigourney Weaver and be readyfor all hell to break loose on the big screen. Paul hits your funnybonefrom the first scene to the last and the humour is infectious,I haven'theard an audience laugh so much in the theatre since..well since 'HotFuzz". Lets hope that Mrs Pegg and Frost continue to team up on such aregular basis,the world of cinema is a much better place thanks to themboth.

2012-05-18 19:46:32

love it

I bought Paul on a whim as I like science fiction and liked Hot Fuzz. I was not in the least disappointed. I loved it and have watched it several times now and each time I pick up on a new insight of Paul's character and the quirks and gestures of Seth Rogan that in each viewing makes it even more funny. I noted that the majority of negative reviews are based on religion. "You just can't win with these people." If you are religious this movie is not going to change your views. Sometimes you just have to "roll the dice" and go with it. Enjoy it for what it is. Paul is not real, although I surely wish he was.

electrablind 2012-05-18 02:34:48

"Shaun of the Dead" alumni bring hilarity in sci-fi comedy "Paul

thefilmsmith.com The last time you saw Nick Frost and Simon Pegg together they were inHot Fuzz, diving through the air firing two guns at the same timescreaming "Ahhh!" Four years later, Frost and Pegg have written andstarred in a hilarious ode to all things sci-fi in Paul.Graeme Willy (Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Frost) are two British sci-finerds who visit the U.S. to attend the San Diego Comic Con and visitnotorious UFO landmarks in the Southwest. Hijinks ensue when the twopick-up a rude extra-terrestrial named Paul.If you are at all a fan of Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, you're goingto love Paul. In the same ways that Shaun and Fuzz were love letters tothe genres they were skewering (zombie films and buddy cop filmsrespectively) Paul is an ode to the sci-fi monoliths of the last sixtyyears. From the original Star Trek to the recent Battlestar Galactica,references and nerd banter concerning the X-Files and Predator is allover the place. Even if you haven't seen the seminal sci-fi films(Close Encounters, Star Wars, Aliens), the creative deluge of swearingfrom the charming Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen) will keep you cackling.Who, by the way, looks freakin' amazing. In stills, the CGI characterPaul looks clearly fake, but during the actual film he's remarkablyrealistic. Gollum, though a well developed character who allowed us tolook past his digital mask, never looked like he was real during theentire Lord of the Rings trilogy; the giveaway being his brightcomplexion, which contrasted with his surroundings. In other words, thelighting of the natural environment did not match the character.Throughout most of Paul, however, they have somehow made a leap insyncing the lighting with environment and digital character. Thecharacter Paul looked more photorealistic than anything in Avatar.This is also the first film featuring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg thatdoesn't include Edgar Wright as the film's director and co-writer.Compared to Shaun and Fuzz, you can see how Wright's kineticsensibilities add the key ingredient to the comedy concoction. Directedby Greg Mottola (Superbad), Paul has the pacing of an awkward firstdate; coupled with his demure shot placement, the directing can't keepup with the hijinks on screen – it only holds it back.Though Paul has some directorial flaws and even some forced lines,there's too much to love about the film. It's a hilarious, crass comedywhich will reward sci-fi nerds with regular references (some lessobvious than others). It's also a veritable smorgosborg of comedicnotables (though you may react with, "Oh, that guy!"), featuring JaneLynch, Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, David Koechner, andJeffrey Tambor.We're all dying to see the next Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frostfilm, but for now, at least they have left us some appetizers till theyget back together. If you haven't seen Scott Pilgrim vs the World, doit (read my review here), and go see Paul when it comes out March 18.-Remington Smith PS It is amusing that when Frost, Pegg, and Wrightcan't get together to shoot their final film in the Blood and Ice CreamTrilogy that they make separate, complimentary pictures on differentniche nerd cultures: Scott Pilgrim vs the World, a love letter to videogame culture; Paul, a love letter to all things sci-fi.

Anthony Morris 2012-05-17 20:03:30

This is both a fitting tribute to those "my best friend is an alien/computer/talking cat/whatever" movies from the '80s and funny on its own terms, and that's two more boxes ticked than a lot of comedies manage.

2012-05-16 15:27:38

great entertainment

This review is from: Paul (Unrated & Theatrical Versions) (DVD) I thought the film was very entertaining, the plot was okay but the dry humor of the alien was the best.

jimmerw 2012-05-16 08:10:27

Forced Vulgarity

I really enjoyed most aspects of this movie. It was a fun alien romp.However, I am not a fan of Seth Rogen. I find most of his films forcevulgar language where it isn't needed. Yes, vulgar language is a part of our lives and it has a place incinema. But it's as if they forced vulgar language into scenes in thismovie that just sounded forced. Natural vulgarity adds to the realismof a film, but here, there was just too much that added nothing. As far as the movie itself, I rather enjoyed it. Nothing epic, nothingOscar worthy, but a fun film to watch.I rated a 6, but if the forced vulgarity was kept to a normal amount, Icould have given it a 7.

Scott Weinberg 2012-05-16 03:06:07

A whole lot sillier, raunchier, and sweeter than its advertising suggests.

Simak Zahmat 2012-05-15 06:18:15

A great mix of E.T.-esque sci-fi & hilariously comedy

(extended edition)Simon Pegg and Nick Frost team up once more and have brilliantchemistry as usual. They start off as two British geeks at Comic Con,San Diego. On their grotesque voyage in their RV to Area 51 an alienriding a car literally crashed into them. Seth Rogen is the perfectlycasted as the rude alien Paul. Or maybe the part is tailored to suithim... Paul is is like a midget Seth wearing an alien suit... Perhapsthat makes him less special than E.T., but now at least he provides uswith some good laughs. It's a great parody/homage with plenty ofreferences to their source material. Along the way the trio meets upwith a crazy bunch of people, I'll let you discover them yourself. Itleads to a cat-and-mouse chase with some sidequests. In the end, thisfilm is a successful sci-fi comedy, but mind the frequent swearing. My score: 8 out of 10 My rating: PG-13 or 12(NL)