This Is the End – 4/5 – Movie Reviews by Ry!

This Is the End – 4/5 – Throughout the summer season of films; there are many films littered that get lost in the haystack.  From all the blockbusters and big sweeping epics, there are these indie and comedy films that are presented, and become the lost films.  These usually don’t get a lot of fan fair, except for the fact they are specific to certain genres, and try to appeal to a certain demographic.  Sometimes, a film of these genres can peak above the clouds.  With This is the End, we have a combination of unique elements and hilarious writing, this film truly stands out among the giants.  This Is the End is really, a diamond in the rough and will make you laugh out loud, even in its lunacy.

Premise: All seems normal, when Seth Rogan gets his friend Jay Baruchel at the airport.  Later that night, they and other’s attend a party at James Franco, to break in his new home.  The party is all fun, until all hell (literally) breaks loose, and the apocalypse begins.  As the world comes to an end, hilarity ensues, and the true virtue of friendship is tested among the last group of survivors.

This is the first time, where acting is really not a big deal for a film.  Another great thing is, because of the premise, it doesn’t matter there isn’t any deep acting, as it doesn’t hinder any development, none is needed.  I mention this because all the actors play themselves in this movie.  First, I am going to name the people that play as supporting characters in the film:

Michael Cera

Emma Watson

Mindy Kaling

David Krumholtz

Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Rihanna

Martin Starr

Paul Rudd

Channing Tatum

Jason Segel

Kevin Hart

These people are seen very quickly in the film, and do well at providing laughs in very weird and comical situations.  There isn’t anything you will see portrayed here you haven’t seen, but you will thoroughly enjoy the quick one liner and scenarios these actors are a part of.  These are the more important supporting cast, as the rest are just plot points to move the film along.  For the main people in the film, we have the following:

James Franco

Jonah Hill

Seth Rogan

Jay Baruchel

Danny McBride

Craig Robinson

These six are the main players, as it focuses on these friends to live in this new, crazy world.  As they all get caught in this ‘apocalypse’, they provide their typical shtick of comedy.  Even though it is something you’ve seen in other films, the difference here is the comical situations are stirred up in a ‘realistic’ fashion against an abnormal setting.  This helps creates standouts among these six, as they provide laughable and truly hilarious moments.  From their one liners, inside jokes and some interesting scenes, they will bring you to your knees and make you laugh till you cry.  Forewarning to all I have said above, if you do not like any of these people’s brand of comedy, you will find their portrayal dull as the movie rolls on screen.

The direction of the film is a very basic, linear one.  You have a standard setup, a conflict for the main characters, with an ultimate goal to achieve; externally, emotionally or ideally.  The setup isn’t important, but it is well to be assured of what you’re preparing yourself for.  In the setup, you have two friends (Jay and Seth) that get together in LA, and after hanging out for the day, decide to go to James Franco’s house party.  From this, you get introduced to the conflict, which is the common ‘end of days’ scenario.  What is injected into this scenario is the amusing elements introduced by all these actors under one roof.  With so many great comedic entertainers in this film playing themselves, you see that even with the basic direction, the spin of this movie is built off their one-liners, timing with ‘inside’ jokes and jabs at sexual, social and popular references in the real world. This is where the film has a true genuine feel, and it makes everything that is happening work; making you laugh at everything, good and bad.  As the situation grows dire, and people start dying, the 6 ‘main’ characters must find a way to survive in this new world.  From here, the hilarity continues and (as mentioned above) their comedy is on display in the most outrageous, over-the-top situations that could happen.  These bizarre moments can drown out the sensation of seeing these guys play themselves, but ultimately everything leads to even more laughter.  By the end, when the climax hits, you realize that this film didn’t have a purpose, meaning or reason in being made, but then you come to the second realization, that the pure entertainment of seeing these guys play themselves has a purpose, to make you laugh.  When it comes to this genre specific film, this one does it with ease and great execution.

The visuals are daunting, but are genuinely effective when hell reins fire upon earth.  At times, you can tell the CGI is obvious, but in reality, the enforcements of mimicking and ‘end of days’ scenario are real enough, and the movie is left (thankfully) to the guys and the comedy.  The score is downright as funny as the cast, as it makes certain parts of the film truly worth the laughs

Overall, the films premise is beyond imagination, the direction is simple and the situations are crazy, but This Is the End will make you laugh, and that is what counts.  IF you’re looking for a real fun comedy to watch, check out this film, you will not be disappointed.