215 cinema: REVIEW: This Is The End

July 8, 2013

By Zach Geibler

This is the End is just the next stoner, slapstick, goofball, movie from the mind of Seth Rogen with the help of friends like James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson,Jay Baruchel, and even the nut-ball Danny McBride. The twist on this plot this time is that the actors are playing themselves, or at least radical extremist version of themselves and character they have played in the past. The movie was unique in this aspect. Just like brethren comedies like Pineapple Express the comedy is based on casual conversational humor as well as ridiculous antics and problems. It’s the new generation of comedy, mixed all together in an apocalyptic movie of epic proportions. Now were these proportions funny? That is the question.

The movie was written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Evan Goldberg also directed the comedy.

The movie starts with an ecstatic Jay coming to visit his good ole friend Seth Rogen in LA. The fellow Canadians have been friends for years. Everyone now and again they get together, smoke some weed, sing and dance to backstreet boys and eat a ton a food (oh those munchies). The grand finale of this visit though is a last minute persuasion to attend James Franco’s party at his new house. Jay is not to friends of Seth’s “new friends” but decides to go and give it a whirl. The party is filled with many other celebrities showing there wild sides, including a drugged out sex cravedMichael Cera (Who would have known. Other cameo include Jason Segel, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, the lovely Emma Watson, and too many more. As the night goes on, Jay gets annoyed called a hipster, and he wants to go back to Seth’s. After a short trip to the convenience store and a good few arguments. The unpredictable happens, as the earth shakes and quakes, and beams of light take up people into the sky. A spaced out Rogen and Jay have to run for it as the LA streets turn to hell before them, WHAT IS GOING ON? They run back to Franco’s house before more craziness happens. A crater opens in Franco front yard, killing more than half of the party, and turning the world to shit. The fab five find refuge in Franco house without electricity and without much mental stability. They board up the house and the movie truly begins. You have to see the rest.

The acting is interesting. The actors while playing themselves by name have taken on odd ball roles. The movie is full of hilarious love and hate towards each other. Franco is obsessed with Rogen, but hates Danny McBride. Jonah Hill is super awkwardly nice to Jay, and Jay hates everyone except Seth. The dynamics add up for some funny complications and conversations. The situations re even funnier at times including snicker bar conversations, gun shows, human head soccer, possessions, cannibalism, sex, and water problems. Times get stressful, things get scary, Emma Watson robes the joint, and no one ever seems to get a break. The movie, as I said before is conversational, seeming almost realistic or improvised at times. This formula seems to work for many fans, and creates a whole different feel for the movie characters and comedy. The world of This is the End yields no rules, and creates for a hilarious time with the gang.

The music placement is great, and there is even a short live concert from a surprise guest somewhere along the lines. The movie has a lot of dialogue, and each viewing will cause another funny line to pique the interest of the view that may not have been noticed before. The writing is reflected through the deliveries, making the most casual things come out as knee slappers. The graphics are even pretty good late in the throughout the movie, such as a burning Hollywood and some strange creatures you will be meeting during the movie. The actors each show their own flair of comedy and their own styles. There are funny combinations as most of the actors have worked together in other movies, playing other characters, but in this movie true emotions fly, and not some character they are stuck in. Or are they just playing more characters. Who knows?