E.T., May I Introduce Paul?

Having seen a veritable plethora of movies this year, one specific collection of images burned onto celluloid has earned its way into my mind as the best of 2011.

That movie is Paul.

Consider the prototypical alien from some other world trapped here on Earth without a ride home. He has a loving heart, powers to heal the sick, and an innate sense of loyalty to his friends. Naturally, no loving alien story is complete without the U.S. government wanting to seize our extra-terrestrial friend with the goal of vacating the space between his ears (or whatever the aliens call them) for the benefit of all mankind.

It sounds like E.T., doesn't it? Granted, E.T. didn't show the same affection for cigarettes or weed which Paul displayed. He also didn't possess the ability to string together eloquent collections of profane metaphors.

Yeah, Paul!

Don't look at Paul as a 21st century knock-off of E.T. though. This movie is appropriately littered with plenty of loving references to Star Wars, Star Trek, Lorenzo's Oil, and even Xanadu if you're paying attention. Rednecks, bumbling law enforcement, and a shotgun wielding father introduce their own predictable facets to the plot as a whole which will still serve to surprise you. Don't forget the ongoing attention (positive and negative, but mostly negative) dedicated to the growing fan base which the comic book industry has enjoyed in recent years.

There have been plenty of movies in the last 20 years which have attempted to give the necessary props to the big leaguers of science fiction. Some have barely hit their mark while others have gone down in flames. Paul nails it while at the same time keeping those references in context with the story.

This year, forget about the end of a series which Harry Potter promises, and the beginning of a series brought by the likes of Captain America, Thor, and the X-Men. Any one of those movies are just as good as the other.

They're just not as good as Paul.

In the end, when it comes to fortifying your DVD collection with this year's releases, Paul should be the first one you add.