Rating of
3/4
Review: This is the End
MikePA - wrote on 06/13/13
This is the beginning of promising directing careers for both Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg - that is, if they continue to direct. As they mash together elements of comedy, elements of horror, and elements of action on one big delicious plate, Rogen and Goldberg craft an energizer that is equally hilarious and relentlessly entertaining. It's loosely scripted and structurally nothing more than one crazy situation after another, but it's made with care and above all, Rogen and Goldberg keep the energy high and the laugh-factor at 10.
This is the End is about a group of 6 celebrities trapped in an out-of-this-world situation, as we all know. But the core of the film is really about this friendship between Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen. Baruchel comes to LA - a place he isn't very fond of - to visit Rogen for the weekend. They drink, they joke, they get high - all of that fun stuff. Eventually they attend a party at James Franco's house hosted by Franco himself, and while Rogen is having tons of fun, Baruchel is more in the corner being that he isn't really friends with these guys. "These guys" being most of the Apatow-gang, including Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jason Segal, Michael Cera, and all of them. Suddenly, the ground shakes and a big hole opens in the ground, consuming well known faces and leaving Franco, Robinson, Rogen, Baruchel, McBride, and Hill barricaded in Franco's house. They stay there to keep safe from the outside rapture. Unfortunately, however, they're not very safe.
This is the End really works. It undeniably works as a comedy. It works, for the most part, as a horror. And it works as an apocalyptic disaster movie. There's a lot of fun references and in-jokes that will most definitely generate laughs, as well as a lot of obvious improvisation that will more than likely tickle the funny bone. I also liked that they also target many of the disasters they've made, such as Your Highness and The Green Hornet. It's funny to see them acknowledge that those movies really, really suck.
One problem I have with the film is that the final 15 or so minutes felt a little lazy. It's as if Rogen and Goldberg couldn't think of a climax good enough to live up to the positives regarding the rest of the film. However, it's still funny, and what they provide is perfectly fine enough to be satisfying.
I guess what I really loved about the film is that you're brought into their world, basically hanging out with them. These guys all possess extremely likable qualities which (that alone) is more than enough to hold you through the movie, keeping you laughing and begging for more. But above all of the laughs and the fun, it really is a well made, visually decent film given lots of soul. It's a definite must-see, and a highlight of summer 2013.
3/4
