Paul

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.

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

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.

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

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.