Paul Review (Contains Spoilers)

This is my second review in my Glasgow Film Festival series of reviews. Now there will be spoilers in this review so those of you who haven't seen Paul, do not click on the jump. If you want my opinion, Paul is a very funny movie and worth all of your time, go and see it.
Now going into Paul, I was expecting some good old geeky fun, that is exactly what I got. The jokes in this film are spot on with the type of tone Paul wants to set. A key joke in the film, which is also my favorite scene in the movie, is a meeting between Paul and Steven Spielberg in the warehouse from Raiders of the Lost Ark where they discuss the powers that ET should have. I was laughing my head off at that scene, the timing of Seth Rogen and Steven Spielberg is perfect and the setting really makes a lot of sense considering the usage of the warehouse in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Speaking of Seth Rogen he steals the show in the film, his timing and attitude for Paul is excellent and his voice really fits with a stoner character like Paul. Other geeky jokes you should be on the look out for are lines inspired by Back to the Future, a skiffle band playing the Mos Eisley Cantina music, Nick Frost speaking in Klingon, a reference to the triple breasted hooker in Total Recall, dialogue delivered to Sigourney Weaver lifted right from Aliens and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost re-enacting the fight between Captain Kirk and the Gorn from the Star Trek episode Arena. Pegg and Frost have a great chemistry in the film, not suprising seeing as how they are friends in real life, and this chemistry makes the scenes between Pegg, Frost and Rogen all the more hilarious. Jason Bateman and Bill Hader also do good jobs as the government agents trying to hunt Paul, although the revelation that Bateman's character Lorrenzo Zoil (Best. Name. EV ER.) was Paul's friend in the agency came off as a bit rushed. There were some performances that weren't as good, mainly Kristen Wiig and Sigourney Weaver, that just came off as underwhelming compared to Pegg, Frost and Rogen. Sigourney Weaver's character came across as a bit rushed with no clear reason for her existing except for plot convenience and the romance between Pegg and Wiig felt really contrived and rushed. Some of the jokes before Paul came in, mainly at the alien restaurant, weren't really that funny and just felt like build up for later. Still, Paul is a very funny movie, not as good as Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz but still funny non the less. If you are a fann of Pegg and Frost or have good geeky knowledge go and watch Paul.
My Rating: 4.5/5