Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the English buddy-team from “Hot Fuzz,” “Shaun of the Dead” and the BBC’s “Spaced,” return to the big screen on American soil in the road trip sci-fi homage “Paul.”

Greg Mottola (“Adventureland,” “Superbad”) ably directs the funny, reference-laden script by Pegg and Frost, which is infused with an overt humanistic examination of the trials of friendship.

The story follows best friends and comic book geeks Graeme (Pegg) and Clive (Frost) as they travel across the United States and hit up all the “alien-spotting” sights. In the beginning of their trip, they run into an actual alien, the profane and hilarious Paul (voiced by Seth Rogen), who is on the run from the law (Jason Bateman, Bill Hader).

Filled with allusions to such films as “Alien,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “E.T.,” among many others, Paul and his accomplices interact with all forms of Americana and the loyalty and the boundaries behind comradeship.

Though the film may not have the staying power of the actors’ previous work together, it is a fast-paced, enjoyable jaunt through the tropes of the road trip and science fiction genres that will tickle audiences intimately familiar with pop culture.

In addition, the role of Paul is one of Rogen’s highlights and the rapport with his two human companions is one of the few excellent uses of computer-generated imagery in defining a character.

After Pegg and Frost explored the genres of post-graduate malaise, zombie films, buddy cop movies and now science fiction cinema, the options for the two are more limited, but knowing their originality and witty humor, I am excited to see what kind of soulful parody they’ll bring us next. B+

Ari Silber is a Loyola MBA student. Before graduate school, he worked for nine years in the Los Angeles film industry , focusing on marketing, publicity and distribution. He can be reached at [email protected]