This Is The End (2013)

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nTitle: This Is The End (2013)

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nDirector: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

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nCast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill,nDanny McBride, Craig Robinson

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nReview:

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nYou all know Seth Rogen as the actor behind such films as KnockednUp (2007) and Superbad (2007). He’s currently enjoying a high point in hisncareer working alongside people like Joseph Gordon Levitt, Michelle Williams,nSimon Pegg, Nick Frost, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz and even BarbaranStreisand. Rogen has also worked with many renowned filmmakers and directors; butnone thing you may not know about Rogen is that he himself writes and produces films.nHe is as active behind the camera as he is in front of it. Often times, Rogenncollaborates with his writing buddy Evan Goldberg, with whom he hasncollaborated in writing films like Superbad (2007). Each of them has branchedninto the entertainment business in their own way, Rogen in the writing actingndepartment, while Goldberg more on the writing producing department, but theynalways end up working together again. When they wrote Superbad, a teenagencomedy which went on to become a smash hit, they decided their next film wasngoing to be called Jay and Seth vs. the Apocalypse. This film would be aboutntwo friends who end up locked up inside of an apartment as the apocalypse isnoccurring outside, the two guys end up hating each other. They wrote it, shot anlittle trailer for it and then put it on You Tube. As of today, it’s beennviewed by more than 630,000 people! So anyhow, they shopped their projectnaround, found someone to back it up and voila! We have This Is The End, a filmnboth written and directed by Seth Rogen and his pal Evan Goldberg. It’s obviousnthis was a dream project of theirs, so, how was it?

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nThe interesting part about This Is The End is that all thenactors that appear in it are playing themselves. So Seth Rogen is Seth Rogen,nJames Franco is James Franco and so forth. This of course isn’t entirely truenbecause these actors are playing exaggerated or even alternate versions ofnthemselves. But still, I gotta say it’s a fun gimmick imagining that DannynMcBride is that much of an asshole. So anyways, the idea is that James Franconis putting on this party of the century type of deal where all these famousnactors and performers are attending. So you’ll see Michael Cera doing lines ofncoke and slapping Rihanna’s ass! There’s Christopher Mintz-Plasse! There’s PaulnRudd! There’s Aziz Ansari and so forth. This part of the film is jam packednwith cameos, which is fun. Even Jason Segel shows up at one point. So there’s anmoment in the night where Rogen and Baruchel decide to go out to buy a pack ofncigarettes when suddenly, the end of the world begins. What is triggering thenend of the world? Why is blue light sucking people up to the heavens? Why isnthe earth opening and swallowing people up? Could this be the ‘judgment day’nthat the bible talks so much about?

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nSo yeah, the concept is that God has finally brought the endnof the world upon humanity, so it’s up to these guys to figure out how they cannget into heaven because apparently god didn’t think they were worthy. This isnan awesome concept because I’ve always wondered how the biblical end of thenworld would look like. In my mind it was way more epic then what we see in ThisnIs The End, but that has to do with the fact that This Is The End takes placenalmost entirely inside of James Franco’s house! This to me is one of thenelements that makes this film so much fun because you hear these guys sayingnthings like “Let’s make a sequel to Pineapple Express” and then they go onnabout what they actually want to do with that sequel, while smoking a joint! “Wenshould make sequels to all our movies!” Funny, funny stuff. I loved how each ofnthe characters takes on a persona, McBride is the hateful asshole, James Franconhates McBride, but loves Rogen. Jay Baruchel is the anti-social dude, MichaelnCera is the out of line coke head. So it’s fun having all these guys partyingntheir brains out, and then having to deal with surviving the apocalypse. That’sna double dose of funny situations.

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nMany will find this film extremely offensive, and it’snmostly to do with the fact that the film makes fun of all sorts of Christian beliefs.nIt’s the kind of film that takes all that mythology from the bible and turns itninto one big fat joke, kind of like Paul (2011) did. In my opinion, this servesnas a way to show just how ridiculous some of these ideas presented in the biblencan get. For example, the film plays with this whole notion of ‘the rapture’.nThis is the event in which supposedly god takes the good people of the earth upnto heaven with him while leaving the sinners down here to rot in a hell onnearth. In the film, a blue beam of light sort of beams you up to heaven, kindnof the way they beam you up in a Star Trek movie. Watching all this I wasnthinking how silly and hilarious it all is! But then you realize this isn’t sonfar from what the bible actually teaches! I mean all of the animals in thenworld fit into one boat? So you go up to heaven and you get a halo on top ofnyour head? Come on! Eve actually talks to a snake! What? And let’s not forgetnthe dragons with seven heads! If all these ideas sound fantastic to you, thennyou should know they all come out of the bible! Rogen and Goldberg take thesenideas and put them in their movie and make you realize damn, this stuff’s actuallynfunny! When James Franco is being beamed up to heaven is one of the mostnhilarious things in the movie, you gotta see it, I dare you not to laugh. Whilenwatching This Is The End I got a Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1990) vibe fromnit because same as that movie, the main characters go both to heaven and hellnand they both offer us hilarious versions of these mythical places. In This IsnThe End heaven is one big ass party, but I ain’t gonna spoil it for you.

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nAside from having fun with Christian beliefs, the film isnalso extremely graphic in nature. Not just with its jokes, but with itsndepiction of gore. For example, there’s only one porno mag in the whole house,nand these five dudes have to survive the apocalypse with it, so I guess theyntake turns using it? Point is at one point a fight breaks out between Franconand McBride because McBride jizzed all over the magazine! This is just annexample of how crazy the jokes can get, if you like your comedy cute and cuddlyndon’t go see this movie. If on the other hand you like your comedy raunchy,nthen you’re in for a treat. I read that while making this film, almost everynactor (except James Franco) at one point said they wouldn’t do somethingnbecause it was too crazy. I mean, Emma Watson herself stepped out of the movienhalf way because she thought the ideas were too crazy. She was actuallynsupposed to be in the movie a lot more, but bowed out because she couldn’t takenit. Hey, if you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen! So that lets younknow this one will test your limits of good taste. And then there’s the gore,nwhich is plentiful and hilarious! Ever wanted to see someone play football withnsome dudes decapitated head? Then this is the movie for you!

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nHow cool was it to have all these funny guys together on thensame film? I mean, this is the kind of comedy I love, where they put a bunch ofnfunny dudes together in one movie and see what happens. Obviously there was anlot of improvisation on this film, its part of what I love about movies likenthis one. I mean, you can tell these were really just a bunch of friendsngetting together having fun making a movie. I’m sure it must have been prettyndifficult to keep a straight face while shooting some of these scenes. One ideandid pop into my head; maybe it should be this team of comedians that takes anstab at a Ghostbusters reboot? It would be hilarious to seethese dudes playingnPeter, Eagon, Ray and Winston, but alas, that’s just me pipe dreaming. But youngotta admit it would be cool wouldn’t it?

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nSo yeah my friends, this movie is all over the place! It’snextreme, it’s funny, it’s gory, and these characters curse like sailors evennwhen in heaven! “Welcome to heaven motherfuckers!” Yes, this film is rated ‘R’ andndon’t you forget it! I was surprised there weren’t any topless girls in this movie;nit was all that was missing really. When I went to see this one, half of thentheater was laughing, the other half was sitting uncomfortable in their chairs,nso it’s a divisive movie. My guess is that the conservative half, the half thatngoes to church every Sunday was about ready to leave the theater, while thenother half were laughing their asses off, I was of course laughing my ass off.nAfter all, if there is a God, he’s gotta have a sense of humor right? I mean,nhe created George W. Bush didn’t he? So my advice is just go see this one withnan open mind, ready to be offended, you just might find yourself having a goodntime.

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nRating: 4 out of 5 

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