Paul

The problem with making brilliant movies like Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz is that every movie you make will be compared to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz.

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (who made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz) star as Graeme and Clive - two Brits in the USA on the trip of a lifetime. In addition to attending Comic-Con, they have decided to rent an RV and travel to all of the most heralded sites in UFO lore. While the two might not quite fit in as they traipse across the deserts of the southwest, their biggest trouble doesn't come from the locals.

Along the way, they pick up a real live alien, Paul (voice by Seth Rogan), who is on the run and trying to rendezvous with the mother ship.

Can they help Paul go home?

Who is chasing after him?

To their credit, director Gregg Mottola, Pegg and Frost (who wrote the film), try to make a movie that appeals to regular moviegoers as well as hard core Sci Fi fans. While it is funny, the movie feels more like a series of situations and gags instead of a well told story.

Graeme and Clive are on the ultimate road trip with plenty of crazy moments that occur along the way, which is the kind of movie I like. As they make their way down the highway, it feels like anything can happen, and usually does. However, we get a string of OK jokes with a sprinkling of hilarious references to the movies that inspired Paul, and the story gets too serious towards the end.

After being goofy for 2/3rds of the movie, the last 1/3rd has a change in tone that is too sudden. Paul feels like a madcap comedy, so let's keep the madcap going! The movie captures our attention when it is a celebration of geek culture and silliness that vacillates between lowest common denominator and rewards for those who spend too much time enamored with Star Wars.

You'll get some laughs, but nothing amazing, in Paul.

Paul is rated R for language including sexual references, and some drug use.