Review of Paul

I wasn't expecting to like this, but it's actually really, really, really, good. The first act feels really insubstantial, but it's all set up for what happens next. Lots of call backs, lots of echoing of jokes, one really funny running gag. Seth Rogen is the MVP of the film, he just brings a charm and personality to the role which really helps sell the film. Pegg and Frost are great but they kind of switch roles here, with Pegg being the dimmer, more amiable, of the two. Pegg doesn't really have much to do in the film and even though he get's a bunch of screen time it never particularly leads to anything. It's definitely more of an ensemble piece, in fact the stands out for me were probably Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Wiig is just consistently hilarious as the romantic lead in the film, whilst Bill Hader gets probably my favourite line in the entire film.

The third act is the strongest, although I think people might have an issue with how compressed and actiony it gets. The entire film up until that point is setup for the last twenty minutes and to me they work like gang busters. It's consistently funny and surprisingly well set up, considering it's an extended action sequence at the tail end of a fairly amiable comedy.

I think geek audiences might get more out of the film than others, but also might be harder on the film than others. It really wears it's references and influences on its sleeves and there are a ton of references to the work of Steven Spielberg and sci-fi films in general.