This Is the End Review: The apocalypse for the pop culture-savvy

Dir. Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen
106 Minutes
Rated R
Watch Trailer

Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen began their filmmaking journey together when they wrote Superbad at the tender age of 13 and have collaborated on a number of projects since, including Pineapple Express and The Green Hornet.  This Is the End marks both of their directorial debuts however, and they shot for the sky (literally) with this apocalyptic R-Rated raunchy comedy.  The cast joins together comedy superstars Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel, and Danny McBride, who, along with a smattering of cameos, play alter-ego versions of themselves as they shack up in Franco's place during the end of the world.  It's kind of surprising to see how "end of the world-y" it actually gets, but the plot itself is pretty flimsy.  The magic of the film lies in how these celebrities play off each other, often using their fame and careers as a springboard for comedy.  Without a good sense of pop culture, it'll be a real slog, but for those "in the know," This Is the End is a fun, but flawed, summer action-comedy.


All the main six guys in the cast are great and work really well together.  Although it's obvious that this is not the "real" James Franco, Jonah Hill, etc. you do get a true sense of the camaraderie and the friendly ribbing they give each other (it makes sense that his friends would give Jonah Hill a tough time for being nominated for Moneyball).  I laughed a fair amount, which is a godsend considering the comedy dry spell recently (Hangover Part III left a bad taste at the beginning of the Summer), and I generally had fun.  Most of the run time is spent inside Franco's house, which got a little tiring being stuck in one place for so long, but the gags kept coming and when it was time for the big action scenes, the demonic creatures looked amazing considering the budget.

But despite the chemistry they had together and some cool visuals, it still felt both cheap and a little self-indulgent.  Even though it did end up working somehow, just the idea alone that Rogen and Co. thought mass audiences would be inherently interested in (and have a deep understanding of) him and his buddies' lives and careers is sort of weird and off-putting to me.  I think they get away with it because of how genuinely funny they are, but if Tom Cruise played a character named Tom Cruise in an action movie EVERYONE would be up in arms over how egotistical it would be.  I know it's not that extreme, and the cast does poke fun at themselves, but I couldn't help but think that this was one big jerk off between Seth Rogen and his celebrity friends.

This Is the End is a really weird film that could really only be enjoyed right now.  The references will lose all relevance with time, leaving only a handful of dick jokes and over-elaborate creature effects to be enjoyed for future civilizations uncovering our cinema history.  The film dragged on a little too much for my taste, the look of the film grew tiresome after a point (too much time spent in that house), and the only thing that kept it all together was the cast.  The plot meandered everywhere as if they couldn't come up with enough stuff to happen (a sub-plot involving an exorcism was completely superfluous).  Overall I enjoyed the film while I was watching it, and it was commendable seeing as this was a first-time out directing for Rogen and Goldberg, but I only give it a mild recommendation, especially if you aren't well versed in showbiz references.

Rating: B-


Bonus - Related Internet Video

Jay Baruchel and Seth Rogen actually made a short film extremely similar to This Is the End some years ago that was never released publicly.  Here's a trailer for that short which would eventually land them this larger motion picture (couldn't find the original video).