In Paul We Trust

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost return together (this time without Edgar Wright) for the third film that they are responsible for (after their fan-freaking-tastic television show Spaced).

As much as I loved Shawn of the Dead (a Zombie movie spoof/satire) and Hot Fuzz (a buddy cop movie spoof/satire), I think that Paul is the best movie (or thing, really, as much as I also loved Spaced) that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have ever done.

The love that people generally have for Sean of the Dead comes from the love that people have for the Zombie movies that it patterned itself after, similarly for the love that people had for Hot Fuzz, so it really shouldn't surprise anyone that Paul would become my favorite of the three.

As a huge, huge, huge, fan of science-fiction, the homages thrown out in this film delighted the crap out of me.

More films and tv shows than I could count were referenced (and lovingly referenced, I must point out) throughout the film, and not all of them strictly sci-fi.

There are tons of Steven Spielberg references, including to some non-sci-fi stuff (although ET and Close Encounters are among the most referenced along, of course, with Star Wars), such as tons of Indiana Jones (which isn't that surprising considering the love that Spielberg and Lucas are getting do to their sci-fi stuff), but also a movie theater marquee in the background is featuring Duel, Spielberg's directorial debut.

Those are the types of references (along with obvious direct quotations) that this movie delivers.  It is working on numerous levels.  And if you aren't a huge nerd (like me) and miss the millions (or possibly trillions) of references, the movie works as a fantastic sci-fi/road-trip/action-comedy as well.

In fact, it is clearly inspired by another fantastic road-trip/action-comedy (that wasn't really sci-fi, but still frakking awesome), The Blues Brothers.

I was catching the Blues Brothers Vibe long before the film itself finally admitted the connection with the line

I'm on a mission... from God!

I felt very vindicated when that line occured.

There are also a couple of other awesome movie quotes that Paul fits in perfectly, but the best "quotation" if you will is a musical number.

You'll know it when you hear it.  I don't want to spoil it for you, so let's just say that you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than one bar that they go to.

There are some great cameos and tons of great performances, and there are even more laughs.

I know that we are often told to "Trust No One" (and yes, there are quite a few X-Files references, including Blythe Danner who played Jana Cassidy in the first X-Files movie), but you can trust me, if you are at all a fan of Sci-Fi, you must go see this film!

Until Next Time, As for me, it is much like John Locke once said, "I'm going to have to see that again."