Want to know the best thing in this film? Clues in the title…
Lover: Taken from IMDB
“Just got back from the cinema and I am so pleased with how this movie turned out. I was honestly laughing out loud for the first time since I saw pineapple express back in 08. The only reason I haven't given it a 10 is because that would mean it was perfect and there were a couple of minor insignificant down falls to the film the first was Sigourney Weaver's acting which seems to have gotten worse and worse since alien but saying that she is the perfect person for this role no one could have fulfilled the cameo role any better. A little more flashbacks of Paul's time on earth would have been awesome I would have liked to see Paul in the 80's to be honest and a little change to his appearance would have given a little giggle but the film didn't need it. Jason Bateman played the perfect part as usual. Seth Rogan was yet again amazing. As I said this was an amazing movie and I can't wait for it to come to DVD.”
A good review and very telling that Pegg and Frost weren’t even mentioned.
Hater: Taken from IMDB
“'Paul' an alien, who's spaceship crashed etc....found by two complete non-entities go on a journey to aid Paul in returning to his motherland. As fugitives... With all the ideas, opportunity and creativity in this world relating to UFO and sci-Fi, Paul was produced.... the movie is a complete dismal. yes in the beginning there were elements of humour - not witty but i admit, it could evoke a smile or a subtle snigger, but that was all you will get from it. The movie was just horrible and half way through i found refuge in my Ipod. There was no build up of the characters; of the relationship between Paul, the internal characters & certainly not with the audience. When Paul had suggestively 'died' i felt no sympathy for the thing; in fact...good riddance. British comedy...actually, that was English comedy- it varies. it has it's moments (depending on how it is executed)when it can make you laugh until you cry & other times, when it's being forced it's just a horrific encounter. in this movie, it wasn't executed naturally: The acting was horrific, the script was unconvincing and stupid, the story was just cliché and embarrassing. To conclude, it has to be known that it wasn't my idea to watch the film- in fact i protested against it but i was out-voted; 3 against 2. such is life i guess..."
A lot of opinion and no points from a person who was using their i-pod half way through a film, need I say more?
What I thought:
Paul was always going to be a different beast from pervious Pegg and Frost efforts, the first is the character the film is titled after. The titular Paul adds an element to this usually very dependable double act that waters down its usual shtick. It creates a kind of bromance love triangle where the funniest scenes are when Paul is talking to either of our heroes. This could be a bit of a problem for die-hard fans (me included) that have followed the paring since Spaced. Going in to watch it you want pure Pegg and Frost, sharp dialogue and near perfect observational comedy and to begin with that’s what you get.
It’s like their tip of the hat to geeks who have followed them and loved them for years, the opening sequence and indeed then rest of film is filled to the brim with references of science fiction movies. The opening and ending sequences for instance are pure Spielberg and Close Encounters, my personal favourite however is Jason Batemans line when shooting the radio. However this is where the appeal for the Spaced elite will end.
What picks it up is pure mainstream comedy with a foul mouthed Alien voiced by Seth Rogan. To say its mainstream is not to say it’s bad, in fact he has some of the funniest lines in the film. It just might be a bit disappointing for people like me who were expecting another Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz. Silly really as Edgar Wright Is nowhere to be seen but there was hope. Jason Bateman is on superb form and all other cameos are great and with a good touch of tongue in cheek. So apart from a silly long running joke about three tits, Paul is a very good mainstream comedy from the British duo just don’t expect Shaun of the Dead.
