When I first started ding this blog in 2007, one of the first movies I reviewed was Hot Fuzz.  What I enjoyed then was a parody of action movies that was also an homage to the genre.  What really stood out was the amount of care and attention to detail that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost put into the movie.  It wasn’t simply enough to mimic famous scenes; they felt the need to throw in obscure references.  Sadly, I missed a lot of those until I watched the DVD months later with the trivia track turned on.  After working on other projects, Simon and Nick turned their attentions to the world of science fiction.

I met up with my buddy, Russ, for the cheap showing at AMC Altamonte.  After grabbing drinks, we headed in to grab seats.  I was surprised to see so many people there for a Wednesday morning showing, but it was better than sitting in an empty auditorium.

While Paul is the name of the alien, this movie is really about the friendship between two people.  Our heroes leave the comforts of England to come to the US for Comic-Con.  After Comic-Con, they embark on a road-trip to see the sites related to UFO activity.  Like many road-trip comedies, you have the predictable run-ins with law and rednecks.  What takes our heroes by surprise is the encounter with an alien.  Paul is trying to escape the government and get home, ala ET.  Our heroes agree to help and the comedy jumps up a notch.

The cast supporting Pegg and Frost is top-notch.  Jason Bateman, Bill Hader, and Kristen Wiig once again prove that comedy is so much more than delivering good lines; it is also personality and timing.  Seth Rogen probably has the toughest job since he is the voice of Paul and does not actually get to be on-screen with everyone else.  I am very happy that they did not feel the need to make this movie in 3d – that would have ruined it.

The references are there, and I do not want to spoil some of the best ones.  Suffice it to say, Spielberg: The Early Years are featured, as is some small franchise made by a guy named Lucas.  I really can not wait until the Blu-Ray comes out – I hope it has a trivia track similar to what Hot Fuzz had.

My advice: See it at full-price; hands down one of the most entertaining movies out right now…