Paul -- REVIEW

Hollywood had three alien invasions hit theaters this month, each dramatically different films. Disney's Mars Needs Moms is a family friendly animation, Battle:LA is an action heavy flick with an Independence Day meets Cloverfield feel, but it is Paul that clearly brings the house down with an amazing balance of story, comedy and geek-tastic references.  Although the box office might rank Battle: LA higher than Paul, I would not judge the films in that order.  I think Paul is a film that brings all elements of film-making together into a perfect package for sci-fi lovers.  I mean lets be serious here... sci-fi geek-dom is something known world wide and if you cannot laugh at yourself for being a fan of some of the craziest films to be made and probably even being one of those "obsessed" fans who dress up to go to 20-minute previews, or stand in line for HOURS, or rush the lines at (enter name here) Comic Con than what else do we have to offer this world?  I myself am a proud fan and willing to admit that I camped out to attend a 20-minute preview of Serenity as well as bought passes to both the NY and San Diego Comic Cons last year... not to mention drove cross country just to attend the events in San Diego... so for that fact alone I fit right in with writer Clive Owen (Nick Frost) and his illustrator Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg).  If you have seen the film you know what I mean.

Paul is one of those films that gives you a taste of everything that is great about sci-fi with amazingly funny characters that drive the story home.  The visual effects are well done that it doesn't even miss a beat.  It almost comes off like a live-action version of American Dad only with better human characters.  Graeme and Clive are some of the quirkiest characters I've seen since Fanboys but I love every bit of them.  Then there is Paul.  Oh Paul, you will win over the hearts of the human race and all it will take is the twirl of a finger and some inappropriate nudity.  Although I normally cannot stand Seth Rogen, I found him to be the perfect voice to give life to the extraterrestrial. Although Paul does steal the show (and rightfully so) the combination of Kristen Wiig (SNL, Whip It and Extract), Jason Bateman (Juno and Arrested Development), Jane Lynch (Glee), John Carroll Lynch (Fargo), and Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents) there is nothing but comedic gold from start to finish.

From amazing comedic timing, a great ensemble cast and a wide range of jokes, references and puns off of previous sci-fi films there is very little that goes wrong - well plenty goes wrong but the quality of the film has few flaws.  The two elements that I most enjoyed were the jokes made at "shock value", some moments even made me drop my popcorn they were so outrageous.  On top of that I felt a personal connection as the route I took while driving to the San Diego Comic Con took me to the infamous site used for the final scene in the film.  It was nice to recognize exactly where they were going and WHY.  Granted I am an 80s baby, but I was born in the late 80s so some of the references come from films and other references before my time.  However having a brother that is 12 years older helped me catch a lot of things that others my age missed.  I will confess I felt like quite the geek during my screening being over of the "older" people in the audience and actually picking up and laughing at some of the scenes and was shocked when it took the group of college kids sitting next to me the ENTIRE film to recognize who the voice of The Big Guy was.

Paul is a great flick to kick back and have a good time.  I'm actually considering going again to see if there are any additional references I missed the first time through.  I give Paul a 4 out of 5.  If you are a fan of sci-fi and have either attended a comic con or just love to laugh than this is your film.