Paul

Last week, I reviewed Battle: Los Angeles, a grim sci-fi film about nasty aliens wreaking havoc. And now, here comes Paul, the hilarious tale of a rude, yet likeable spaceman who just wants to go home.

Seth Rogen, through the use of motion capture, is Paul, a spaceman held in Area 51. He’s been there since 1947, ever since he crash-landed not in Roswell, but in Wyoming. By the time we first see Paul, he’s already escaped with a stolen car that he crashes.

Meanwhile, Grahame and Clive (the film’s writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost), two British Sci-Fi geeks, have just spent a glorious time at Comic Con, San Diego. It’s the first stop on their UFO road trip, the last stop being Roswell. They meet Paul on the road, and take him aboard with them. Paul wants them to help him get back home, while a trio of government agents wants him back dead or alive.

The film comes through with its combination of its writing and its cast. The script knows when and how to pull off its jokes, many of which are pop culture related. The cast has great chemistry together and also have great fun as their characters. The best one is Sigourney Weaver, who relishes her role as the Government head “The Big Guy.”

While director Edgar Wright collaborated with Pegg and Frost before on Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead, this time Greg Mottola (Superbad) is in charge. Despite the change in directors, the writers’ enthusiasm for their films' subject matter still shines. That's why Paul is certainly a fun road trip for geeks and "normal folks" alike.