How far do these two films portray themes and ideas in similar ways?
The compared movies are E.T. (1982) by Steven Spielberg (Indiana Jones), an American blockbuster family movie and the British-American Paul (2011) by Greg Mottola (Superbad) which was a less popular recent film written by British comedy geniuses Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Although there is almost 30 years between the films, it seems that our expectations of a funny green man nearly haven’t changed at all.
Similarities in both plots:
Earthlings befriend an alien who is very intelligent and humanlike. The extra-terrestrial has to flee from government, scientists etc and urgently must return home. They get more allies to help the alien board a spaceship. Both narratives are built on a linear structure and there is only a minimal use of flashbacks.
Difference:
E.T. is set in the beautiful California among cosy family homes, the main characters are children (Elliott, Gertie, Michael). In comparison, Paul tells the story of the pilgrimage of two British sci-fi comic book nerds (Clive and Graeme) who decide to travel the most famous UFO areas of the USA.
Representation:
E.T. establishes the idyllic scene of the American family home therefore gives hints about American dream with references as The Quiet Man (John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara) and simple children’s programs like the Sesame Street. The mother as main authority of the children appears in a kind of distance from the imaginative childish world. Similarly, in Paul there is a father chasing his daughter across the desert to save her. Although, the characters in Paul are adults they act very childish in some cases: shiver when they have to kiss a girl or they need a diaper when they get scared. However, it could be agreed that the main values in both movies are friendship and family relationships.
Both extraterrestrials look very much alike (small, skinny, bulbous-bellied, reptilian and wrinkled with four long thin fingers, a huge head and large eyes). And apart from the ability to heal and revive creatures they have other special powers as well such as telekinesis and becoming invisible for a while. It is also evident that both films portray aliens as intelligent creature with the ability to learn to speak.
The theme of aliens on Earth:
E.T. is set in the ‘80s of America, where sci-fi is already a popular genre (the film came out after Star Wars first release) but aliens are stereotypically defined as ‘little green men’. Although many people believe in aliens it is contradictory to many global religious ideas such as Jesus. On the other hand, Paul pictures the 21th century cult of sci-fi, where people act childish and sometimes wear awkward costumes. In the colourful parade of ComiC on we see many references to other movies such as Star Trek, Star Wars and many other sci-fi. But sci-fi fans discover as stylistically hidden references in Paul such as the music scene in the bar from Star Wars and Paul’s wish for Reese’s Pieces, which chocolate was the one that Elliott used as a trail to lead E.T. to his home. In a flashback we also see Paul in a dungeon having a conversation on the phone with director Steven Spielberg and gives him the idea to use healing power in the movie. We also see Sigourney Weaver (known from movies like Alien and Avatar) appearing as a vicious federal agent in the end.There are also some similarities with some of Spielberg’s earlier work such as horror Night Skies and Close Encounters of the Third Kind in both movies.
Friendship
The relationship of humans and extraterrestrials is an important part of both movies. In E.T. there is also a physical bond between Elliott and the alien, but we can see Paul giving knowledge to his saviours by touch. Ironically the arrival of the alien from outer space makes the family stronger on Earth, brings brothers and sisters closer as it does make the friendship of the two nerds Graeme and Clive better.
Humanity
It is an interesting that these two aliens created in different times have no intention to invade our planet or to do any harm at all. In fact the most dangerous creatures are the humans themselves, the blind authority, the scientist who try to investigate things to closely and the federal agents who would kill to cover proof of any UFOs. It seems that the false judgement of humans makes us weaker over the intelligent aliens.
Being an alien
While in E.T. a child who came from a one-parent family feels for a disorientated, lost creature and tries to help him, in Paul the situation is slightly more twisted. Aliens are also the weird British in a sense of being on vacation in the USA and they just feel completely out of place. In fact the extraterrestrial, Paul is the one who helps them to melt in the crowd a little easier having spent 50 years in America, even though in a military dungeon. He shows the two tourists how to enjoy themselves while they are away from England.
Home
Both movies end with the classic resolution: the extra-terrestrial’s return home. What happens on Earth after is less clear but in both movies there is a kind of resolution that makes the viewers happier. In Paul we follow the Graeme and Clive to ComiC Con a year later and the change is obvious: they are not only tourists anymore, they return home to the US, to the weird world of sci-fi fans where they became celebrated writers.
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