Review of This Is the End (2013) by Ryley L — 08 Mar 2015

I suppose he best comparison to this film could be Shaun of the Dead or The Interview. Then again, I suppose The Interview should be compared to this. Seth Rogan and James Franco team up again for "This Is The End''. It's directed by Seth Rogan Evan Goldberg and stars Seth Rogan, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, and Emma Watson.

The film starts with Seth Rogan and Jay Baruchel (both playing themselves), meeting up at the air port. They plan to hand out over the weekend together at Seth's place. However, Seth has other plans in store. He ends up dragging Jay to James Franco's house where he's having an enormous party. Attending the party are a bunch of well known celebrities, including Jonah Hill. Jay isn't on good standings with Jonah, making things exceedingly awkward. Later that night, the end of the world begins. All hell breaks loose.

The actors in this film are some of the best younger comedians working right now. Rogan and Franco have been teaming up in films for years. One of their first team ups was in Pineapple Express. So obviously, they work fantastically together in this one. Jay Baruchel isn't a favorite of mine, but he does okay in this movie. He and Rogan actually work fairly well together. All the actors work great together when they are all in the same room. This is honestly what saved this film from being a disaster.

As far as the story goes, it's not that great. I think what makes a timeless comedy so good are the characters and the story. An example would be The 40 Year Old Virgin and the first Anchorman. Both are stupid and silly, but the characters are memorable. Virgin features a character that you actually care about and feel bad for. In this, the characters are rather one note. You don't care about anyone. The script and story are all over the place. The only thing that holds it together is the cast. Which thankfully is enough to overcome the flaws.

The comedy here is pretty good. There are definitely some great laughs to be had. However, some of the jokes are forced and don't work as well as others. Sometimes the film resorts to just having the characters run around screaming at things. The best way I can explain it is like this. Imagine all of these actors in the same room. They all shoot up on drugs and overreact to everything. They run around in complete and utter chaos until they collapse. That is this movie. And most of it is pretty darn entertaining. It would be nicer if the script and characters were stronger, and if it didn't resort to constant loud screaming.

"This Is The End'' isn't the best comedy ever seen, but it is great for a Friday night when you are bored and want to laugh. If you are looking for a smart, well written, and lovable character comedy film, this isn't it. If you love nonsensical, chaotic, and loud comedies with a cast that works great together, watch this.