BEFORE: The final "road trip" movie for now, and the start of another chain about aliens. Hey, if Hollywood keeps makin' them, I'll keep watchin' them. Linking from "Due Date" is simple, since Danny McBride co-starred in several films, like "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express" with Seth Rogen (last seen in "The Green Hornet") who voices the titular alien tonight.
THE PLOT: Two British comic-book geeks traveling across the U.S. encounter an alien outside Area 51.
AFTER: Another case of great timing tonight, since the first few scenes are set at the San Diego Comic-Con. Dude, I was just THERE! It was awesome! I suppose the timing would have been even better if this was my first film back, but whatever. I saw some people watching Morgan Spurlock's documentary ABOUT Comic-Con while they were on the plane going TO Comic-Con. Umm, you're going to see that all for reals in just a few hours, people...
Anyway, the lead character duo tonight (who co-starred in "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" - still need to see that last one) are a couple of English sci-fi creators, a writer and an artist, who attend Comic-Con for the first time, then go on a driving tour of America's UFO highways. Me, I chose to unwind in San Francisco, but hey, different strokes.
Wouldn't you know it, they find an alien (whoops, spoiler alert!) and have to help him get away from the Men in Black. (Note to self: should I see "Men in Black 3" this weekend? Is it still playing?) And again, I don't want to give away too much about what happens along the way, but much like the previous two road films, things get weird, and comic mishaps ensue. Drugs may be involved, much like in the other road trips - or maybe it's some weird kind of alien mind-meld.
Borrowing liberally from "American Dad" - wait, no, that's totally different since the alien on that show is named Roger, not Paul - there are also a ton of references to Star Wars, Close Encounters, and E.T. I lost count, that's how many there were - but somebody's got a real appreciation for the genre. So, in creating a satire of alien films, they sort of made the ultimate alien film anyway.
There's not a lot of character development, and the majority of the film's conflicts and plot points get resolved quickly - the stock move is to jump back in the RV and drive away fast. That happens a lot. And while it wasn't exactly Shakespeare, it was a lot of fun to watch. I had a good time.
Also starring Simon Pegg (last heard in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"), Nick Frost (last seen in "Pirate Radio"), Kristen Wiig (last heard in "Despicable Me"), Jason Bateman (last seen in "The Kingdom"), Sigourney Weaver (last seen in "Baby Mama"), John Carroll Lynch, Bill Hader (last heard in "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs"), Joe Lo Truglio, Blythe Danner (last seen in "Little Fockers"), with cameos from Jane Lynch (last heard in "Shrek Forever After"), Jeffrey Tambor (last seen in "Win Win"), David Koechner (last seen in "The Dukes of Hazzard").
RATING: 8 out of 10 mailboxes
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