The stars of Barnet-filmed Shaun of the Dead have a new offering, and it's set a long way away from here writes Frank Jackman.

Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Seth Rogen star in Paul (15), a comedy film about two Englishmen helping fugitive alien Paul (Rogen) travel across America.

Pursued by both the government and a fanatical father of a woman they accidentally kidnap, Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) are chased through America's mid-west until they reach their final destination, in an ending reminiscent of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Starting off at Comic Con, Graeme and Pegg proceed to visit America's rumoured UFO hotspots: Area 51, Roswell and the Black Mailbox, all goes well until they meet Paul and are wrangled into helping him escape from Earth. Along the way they encounter religious fanatics, fumbling federal agents and ghosts from the past.

Although it's written for a mainstream audience Paul still retains the humour of the pair's previous efforts. Paul manages to reference nearly every major science-fiction film of the past 30 years, from ET to Star Wars. However, don't be put off by this, Paul still manages to have more mainstream humour that should appeal to audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

The American setting and prevalence of American actors should help this film to do well overseas, while the presences of Pegg and Frost should help the film succeed in the UK.

Director Greg Mottola shows his skill in directing comedy performances that he developed on previous Rogen effort Superbad. Mottola also exhibits the ability to film car chases and action scenes as well as comedy.

Although his direction won't win any awards he manages to keep a laid-back mood that captures the mood and lives of his leading characters.

While it won't appeal to everyone, Paul is an entertaining film for anyone who has ever dreamed of meeting ET and witnessing first contact for themselves.