Seth Rogan and Evan Goldberg (the creative team behind films such as Superbad and Pineapple Express) have split directorial duties to give a comedic take on the end-of-the-world genre with the aptly titled – This Is the End.
In the film, Seth and Jay attend a party at James Franco’s house, when the apocalypse strikes. The good souls are taken up to heaven, while the rest are left on earth to fend for themselves. What follows is a journey of self-discovery and redemption, as the five actors attempt to survive in each other’s company.
The film is essentially a classic buddy comedy, with constant, crude humour. The actors all play themselves – which is a nice touch, with no shortage of self-deprecating humour on their part. The premise of the film is something different for this comedy troupe, however the jokes are basically the same as what you have come to expect based on their earlier films.
The principal cast of Seth Rogen, James Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride are all great in their roles. The group play friends in the film and the chemistry between them feels natural, especially after many past collaborations in various projects between the actors. Emma Watson has a great, extended cameo in the film and there are appearances from several other huge comedy stars, enhancing the plot’s real-world setting.
This Is the End for the most part, hits the mark on the comedy front. It may have been possible to cut its length back a bit, but generally it is a laugh-a-minute feature. It is a fun film that will appeal to the teen/young-adult demographic and especially to fans of Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill and the like. Whilst not an instant classic, it’s a welcome addition to the slate of films the actors and creators have been involved in.
Fun Fact:
According to Seth Rogen, Danny McBride was the person who made everyone laugh and break character the most. At one point, it took eighteen takes and over an hour for the cast to get a joke on film, because McBride’s delivery kept making everyone laugh.
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