The big marketing push for this film began after the release of Oz: The Great and Powerful in order to capitalize on the newfound success and popularity of James Franco. Other than that, I didn’t know much about it aside from what I had seen in the trailers. Since I’m not a fan of Seth Rogen comedies, I went in expecting not to like it, only to be pleasantly surprised.
Based on the short film Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse, Franco, Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, and Danny McBride play as caricaturized versions of themselves when they are suddenly faced with the Apocalypse as described in the Book of Revelation. Rounding out the supporting cast are Emma Watson, Michael Cera, and Rihanna.
The first thing that I must say about the film is that what we’ve seen in the trailers is the CLEANEST the film gets; much of it’s humor relies on shock and vulgarity that many comedies of this decade are becoming known for. This is a film for adults in almost every sense of the word.
The second biggest thing I noticed was the chemistry between the actors, as the delivery felt natural between them, allowing the more subtle jokes to feel like natural dialogue. This worked well in conjunction with the self-referential humor that made fun of different aspects of the various actors’ careers.
Combine the good chemistry with the episodic plotline that builds up to an epic climax, and we get a multi-faceted satire of popular culture, apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic genre films, as well as indirect satires of survival stories the likes of which we’d find in a zombie film.
Final Verdict: 5/5
Overall, this film is funny from beginning to end, maintaining a steady comedic pace while telling a story that plays to the strengths of the various actors. If you’re into raunchy comedies like Superbad, Pineapple Express, and the first Hangover movie, then this is the film for you. On my personal scale, I give This is The End a 5/5.
