This is the End

The self fulfilling comedy that is 'This is the End' is at first thought quite an original bit of storytelling from some of the hot properties of the genre. Each character, notably known to have collaborated on several comedies over recent years, play exaggerated versions of themselves, caught up in a biblical end of days while partying at James Franco's house. Though it is quickly seen the only resemblance to their real selves may be their names, our 6 anti-heros pull out the jokes that is all too reminiscent of their past successes, but thanks to the grandiose narrative, we have some originality that provides enough laughs to keep the film going.

Starting off as basically a who's who of the low budget comedy world, we attend James Franco's swaray alongside Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel, two friends expecting a quiet night of which, to Jay's dismay, are dragged along to a party filled with people he dislikes. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the apocalypse soon commences with hell and brimstone to boot, and so after losing such notable stars as Michael Cera and Rihanna to the massing terror outside, our remaining few (pictured above) must attempt to sit out the storm and avoid their dysfunctional egos just long enough to survive whatever hell lay out there beyond the safety of the mansion. 

Once lockdown commences the film does become infinitely better and away from a name dropping fiasco. Watching the personalities flow in almost improvised fashion is pretty hilarious, with McBride and Robinson standouts on the delivery front. Fortunately for myself i'm a fan of the Evan Goldberg movies (Superbad, Pineapple Express...) of late, and the comedy on show here is of that mold. Though just like his past creations there is a lot of potty humour which is relied upon to fuel a lot of the longer dialogue scenes. Some of it is low level and on the cusp of indecent, but on some occasions they go full vulgarity, to which only a small slice of audience may resist disgust, let alone crack a smile.

  Thanks to the narrative based around the end of the world, it means Goldberg's team here can rehash a lot of their old comedy to a new setting. Prepare for plenty of dick jokes, drug exploitation and various sexual antics, and I guess you have to say, why change a winning formula? With a bigger budget, the special effects do nothing but accentuate the enjoyment, allowing for Franco and crew to outlet their characters in an unreal setting for once. The question is now where can they go from here? Stepping back into their social delinquent roles can only be a step backwards now. A good film with actors who know how to work off each other, This is the End is a success for the genre, but leaves Goldberg to have no other option but to shoot for the stars, rather than shoot up on the sofa. 

Director: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Run Time: 106 Minutes
Nationality: American
Release Year: 2013
IMDB Rating: 7.7
My Rating:
C+