This is the End is an apocalyptic, postmodern comedy that degrades the reputation of actors into a mix of drugs, booze and selfish character traits. Starring an impressive line-up of James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson and Danny McBridge, who are all allegedly playing themselves, it can be quite difficult to actually like, or relate, to any of them, as the apocalypse shows them for what they really are; idiots who don’t have a clue. But maybe I’m giving the wrong impression. What I’ve already mentioned is relatively true, but the fundamental fact is This is the End does succeed in what it strives for and that’s to provide an entertaining comedy that pokes fun at the Hollywood lifestyle.
The basic premise of the film is that Baruchel is staying with Seth Rogen in LA, becoming the outsider to the pre-established group of friends who are all partying hard at Franco’s housewarming. By far, Baruchel is the most likeable of the characters though doesn’t come without his own faults. The opening thirty minutes fill the screen with the recognisable faces of A-list celebrities, featuring appearances from Rihanna, Jason Segal and Michael Cera, all making japes at their real life counterparts. Segal makes fun of his TV-show wife in How I Met Your Mother while Cera makes a U-turn from his innocent, geeky characters from Juno and Superbad, becoming a drugged up, sex dog that meets a rather welcome end (If you’ve seen the trailers then you’ll already know what happens to him, yet this should have been a moment saved for the actual cinema screen). When the apocalypse does finally strike, the crowds are cut down to its credited cast and the real fun begins.
Most the humour comes out of the survivors trying to cope with each other and the idiotic solutions they come up with in order to defend themselves (An example that comes to mind is Seth Rogen mending a cracked wall with gaffer tape). Aside from that, there are a lot of movie references and clichés that viewers may or may not pick up, but most of the time they can be understood without universal knowledge and don’t retract from the overall enjoyment of the movie. However, there is also a lot of gory humour that at times can become unsettling or doesn’t seem to fit with the rest of the style, as opposed to how the gore does in Shaun of the Dead. But for the most part, it manages to shock and disgust but tying it together with comedy that appears to make it ok. There are even moments that will make you jump out your seat, as they have a habit of creeping up on you without warning.
Though it won’t be winning any awards, if you’re a fan of tongue-in-cheek humour and Shaun of the Dead styled blood and gore, then it’s worth a watch. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, even with quite a substantial budget, but that’s what makes it so effective. Had it tried to be more serious alongside the comedy, it would have fallen a little flat it what it had set out to achieve. But above all, your basically watching a group of well-known celebrities as you’ve never seen them before, whether it be Emma Watson shrugging off the Hermione image, by swearing her head off and swinging an axe around, or seeing Channing Tatum in the most bizarre cameo appearance to date.
Personally, it was a worthy watch, but as apocalyptic films go, I’m looking forward to The World’s End a lot more.