Paul

The first thing to say about Paul is that this isn’t the third film in the “Cornetto Trilogy” as Edgar Wright has nothing to do with this particular movie and, boy, does it show. Writers Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star as a couple of English comic book nerds who after visiting a convention on said material, embark on a road trip visiting extra terrestrial sights of interest. Before long they find themselves with a third partner in their RV, that of Paul, a CGI alien, voiced by Seth Rogan. Before long there’s shadowy government figures and wild chases ensuing. It all feels old hat though with “probing” jokes the norm and stereotypes abound. This should have been a lot better than it is. The problem is that aliens living amongst us is hardly the newest story in film and Pegg and Frost don’t really have much new to say on the matter. I’m no prude, but this is also a bit too crude with the lack of writing shown up by the fact someone, usually Paul, needs to swear every 10 minutes in order to garner a laugh. It doesn’t work. This is actually somewhat surprising as director Greg Mottola has form for handling edgy humour with emotion (Superbad), though the additional problem here is that unlike that film, despite all the gross out moments you still cared for the characters. Having said that Mottola can hardly be to blame as he’s handcuffed by the substandard script. The most interesting aspect of the film is that Pegg and Frost have reversed their usual film personalities, so in this one Pegg is the zany slob, whilst Frost is the uptight whinger. It’s probably a nice break for them to be playing against type, but it doesn’t improve the film in anyway. There will be an audience for this (mainly groups of lads on Friday nights with beer and pizza in tow) and general Sci-Fi fans will get a kick out of the many references on screen, but again, isn’t this just cover for what little new ideas there are here? Perhaps less focus on the self indulgent (Steven Spielberg’s cameo) and more polishing of the script would have made for a more enjoyable trip all round.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict

There’s more drama, horror and wit in most episodes of The X-Files. Calling Edgar Wright. Rating: 4/10.