This is the End review

THIS IS THE END:

BLASTING WITH COMEDY, SUPERNATURAL ACTION, AND CRAZY SURPRISES!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** 1/2 out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

(From left to right) Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, and Jonah Hill stuck in the apocalypse in This is the End

What do you get when you put iconic movie stars in the middle of an apocalypse? You get one insanely hysterical comedy. But don’t worry; it’s not the end of the world, but This is the End of comedies that push the boundaries between being comical and just being awesome.

            Seth Rogen (Superbad, Pineapple Express, 50/50) and Jay Baruchel (How to Train Your Dragon) are invited to a party at James Franco’s (Spider-Man trilogy, Oz: The Great and Powerful, 127 Hours) place, along with several other celebrities including Michael Cera, Kevin Hart, Emma Watson, etc. Suddenly a series of catastrophic events occur, leaving Los Angeles devastated, and Seth, Jay, James, Jonah Hill (Superbad, Moneyball, 21 Jump Street), Craig Robinson (The Office, Tyler Perry’s Peeples), and Danny McBride (Tropic Thunder, Despicable Me) trying to survive the apocalypse in the safety of James Franco’s home.

            For a large portion of the movie, the acting crew pretty much spends most of their time making jokes about many of their movies, Seth and James even makes a joke about making a Pineapple Express sequel. When they cut back to the film’s plot, it’s usually one of them having to search for food, survivors, water, etc. and avoiding any twisted activities that occur.

            The premise is very unoriginal though and reminds me of several other flicks that came out over the years such as Cloverfield, Independence Day, even Skyline (which is a terrible movie BTW!), but the movie’s comedy, witty dialogue, amusing performances by the cast, especially a show-stealing cameo by Emma Watson (Harry Potter, The Perks of Being a Wallflower), and awesome special effects more than make up for it. Some of the visual effects and apocalyptic scenes look so awesome that it’s just hilarious, I won’t give anything away though, it would just ruin the fun.

            All I can say is this will probably be the best comedy you will see this year, better than The Hangover Part III and better than The Internship. Insane situations, well written comedy, and an amusing cast over simple unoriginal storytelling, which is actually all part of the fun of watching this flick.