PAUL

Director: Greg Mottola

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Seth Rogen (voice), Kristen Wiig

THE latest Pegg/Frost project has hit the big screen - and it’s the best yet in my opinion.

I enjoyed Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz was OK but didn’t come up to expectations.

Paul, though, has a good storyline, some great characters and is very funny.

Pegg and Frost play two comic book geeks who have come to the USA to visit all the well known UFO sites, such as Area 51.

However, they end up having their own close encounter with an alien called Paul who is on the run from a top-secret miltary base.

The scene is set for some hilarious comic moments as they try to smuggle Paul across the state.

Add to the mix a deeply religious young woman (Wiig) who doesn’t believe in the teachings of Darwin let alone in aliens and you have a pretty mixed bunch in a camper van.

The unseen star, though, is Seth Rogen who is the voice of Paul.

This is no alien from ET or Star Wars - Paul enjoys illegal substances and has a good grasp of obscenities.

The best parts of the movie are the throwaway comments and there are plenty of references to other movies you need to keep alert for.

The whole Comic Con scene at the start is well observed, though sci-fi geeks might not enjoy being made to look a little foolish.

The fact that Pegg and Frost are long-time mates makes their scenes together work very well and they even play on this as their characters have to convince people they meet they’re not a couple.

While not a classic, this is a fun night out.

four out of five stars

Steve Payne