Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are the main stars of Paul, along with, of course... Paul. If you like some of Pegg and Frost's previous works like Spaced (Excellent TV Show), Shaun of the Dead (Zombie apocalypse movie with a twist) or Hot Fuzz (Cop action movie bonanza with a tongue-in-cheek delivery) you'll be right at home here as their humor shines through. Both actors are excellent but with the introduction of Paul, the computer generated alien, the movie really challenges itself to hit just the right note.
Some of the gags are too obvious, too juvenile and too simple to fit with the tone I'd like the movie to keep and most of it is due to the Paul character, voiced by Seth Rogen. I have the same challenge with Seth Rogen as I have with Jack Black. Sometimes he is just so annoying and here, he fails to give Paul the right tone for the movie. This, of course, all comes down to taste and fortunately this only plagues some parts of the movie. There are more hits than misses and overall the movie is enjoyable and well made.
Pegg and Frost suit their characters perfectly. There is an abundance of movie references and in-jokes. The ones aimed at Titanic, Dark Angel (Not the TV series, The movie starring Dolph Lundgren), Back to the future and the Aliens reference near the end, were just a few of those I found quite funny. I'm sure that watching the movie a second time will show many more.
Paul is a good movie as long as you watch it with a forgiving empathy. It's ironic that the part of Paul which doesn't work 100% is Paul.
It's obvious this movie was made by movie fans, for movie fans.
Written By Steen
Online: Saturday, May 12, 2012