This Is the End is undoubtedly one of my favorite comedies of all time. Even though I am extremely biased after watching this for the thousandth time, I still believe that it is a great film in many aspects. While there are elements of religion, science-fiction, and the downright absurd present, this film manages to keep it all very light and in a classic Seth Rogen-style comedy. In my opinion, this is one of Rogen's best films, and the all-star comedy lineup backing the film helped it to become so hilarious.
I do not have negative statements about this film at all, and I usually do with comedies because of their tendency to ignore plot points or other developmental aspects in order to fit in another joke. This film did a fantastic job of balancing a simple plot idea with just the right amount of comedy and R-rated goodness. One of the minimal points of negative feedback I have about this film is its limited use of space in the setting. Almost the entire film takes place in James Franco's house during the Biblical apocalypse, and I would have liked to see a little more of the surrounding area that was on fire and in ruins. I understand that with a comedy's limited budget, this is often hard to do. But on the positive side, they handled the situational aspect of the setting very well. Since it did take place in one house, it gave us nothing but situational comedy and character development, which is a rarity in the comedy genre, especially Seth Rogen. And it helped even more that all of the actors and actresses played themselves in the film. This made it feel so much more personal, and who wouldn't want to be up close and personal with the teddy bear that is Seth Rogen? And speaking of Rogen, while his films have been classically labeled as "weed comedies," he did an excellent job of writing this film to avoid that stereotype. While there is one scene of smoking pot (and lots of alcohol and drugs), that was not the main focal point of this film, which was an excellent choice.
Other aspects of this film that I thoroughly enjoyed, besides the nonstop humor, was its development in the characters. It is made to seem that some of these actors are actually assholes in real life (proven by Danny McBride) and some are just misunderstood outcasts (Jay Baruchel). All in all, every character was portrayed so well, and in just the way that a typical moviegoer would picture them in real life. Another element of this film that I loved was the setting. Yeah, I'm back to talking about the setting. Their choice of using the Biblical rapture as the apocalypse of choice was a very smart move. If it would have been zombies, vampires, or natural disasters, I feel like the film wouldn't have had the same effect on so many people. And they handled the rapture elegantly, without including any gags to poke fun at religion or people's beliefs, which was critical and nice to see for a change. Once we did get to see a glimpse of what lies outside the house, it was Craig Robinson attempting to retrieve the water but failing, as he saw the horrors of the outside. The audience does not see that, only hearing a roar of some kind, but we know that something bad is out there. The next time we see a change of scenery is when Craig and Jay go to the other house to get supplies. This is where we see the first demon, and get a taste of what is to come. The final scene with Satan (huge dick and all) was one of the most hilarious parts of the movie, and truly revealed so much about Seth and Jay's characters. This was so important because the film began with those two, and through their trials and tribulations, it ended with them becoming much closer friends. This Is the End had one of the most ridiculous but satisfying endings in comedy history. I couldn't contain myself when Jay wished for the Backstreet Boys to be up in Heaven with them. This absurd dance scene at the end really wrapped things up on the highest note possible.
It may seem that I am very biased about this film, and that is absolutely true. This was one of the first R-rated movies I have ever seen when it was released in theaters, and it was a good one to start out with as it makes other R-rated films seem very tame. As much as I adore Seth Rogen and his pot-based comedy, he really outdid himself with this film. It contains so much ludicrous language and unnecessary content, but that is what makes this comedy shine above all others. I would absolutely recommend this film to anyone who loves an uncomfortably good laugh, just make sure your kids can handle it before you show it to them.
My Rating: ★★★★½
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