Two best buds find a little green man and embark on a comedic journey of special effects-laden mayhem. It’s like an “E.T.” ripoff that post-dates the acceptable time period for “E.T.” ripoffs … but only to the untrained eye.
“Paul”
Universal
Turns out those two bros-for-life are none other than Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the British duo that brought you the comedy masterpieces “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.” They’ve paired once again onscreen and on the script to complete their genre parody trilogy, and science-fiction epics must have seemed like the next logical step following zombies (“Shaun”) and cops jumping through explosions (“Fuzz”).
Sadly, the one-minute teaser for “Paul,” due March 18, 2011, doesn’t feature much of the inspired lunacy that characterized these guys’ previous efforts. But at least director Greg Mottola (“Superbad”) was able to nab Seth Rogen as the voice of the alien, and we get a kooky take on the obligatory “disguised in public” scene.
Should be enough fun to circle the Earth’s orbit, if not leave it. Plus Sigourney Weaver is here, which either means she’s about to blow up some space predators or go all hippie to save the indigenous peaceful extraterrestrial population. It’s always one or the other with that woman.