PAUL
(R and Unrated)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
Every now and then, a movie comes along that plays so much better on home video than in the theater. “Paul” is that kind of movie. Maybe it’s because I was expecting too much for the almost always funny Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. Maybe it’s because I finally accepted the overexposed Seth Rogen as the voice of Paul. Whatever the case, “Paul” is quite a bit of fun on DVD and Blu-ray.
The story follows two British geeks who take a trip to the San Diego Comic-Con, then literally run into an escaped alien trying to get home. Think of it as a raunchy “E.T.” with more pot jokes in it. There’s plenty of winks and nods to the geek audience, and if you’ve actually made your own pilgrimage to Comic-Con, you’ll be in on those jokes. It’s raunchy but harmless, and aside from being a bit too ironically preachy about atheism, “Paul” is a great way to spend a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon.
The Blu-ray comes with the theatrical and unrated versions of the film. It also has the DVD bonus features of bloopers, galleries, feature commentary and the featurettes “The Evolution of Paul,” “Simon’s Silly Faces” and “Who the Hell Is Adam Shadowchild?” The Blu-ray exclusives include the insightful feature-length documentary “Between the Lightning Strikes: The Making of Paul,” plus several other featurettes. There’s also BD-Live and pocketBLU access, along with a bonus movie offer from Universal for your iPad, TV or smartphone (which expires on December 31, 2011).