This Is The End

So I know that I am a little late to the review party for This Is The End, after all, this film came out months ago, then went away, then came back, and is now available for purchase and rent.  Well, in my defense there have been quite a lot of good films out between then and now, which I know all you loyal readers have read, and my time is valuable...to me, so get off my back!*



*If you were not on my back, then don't worry, we're all good. 


I'm sure by this point most of you are aware this film lives in a realm of reality intermixed with fantasy, like unicorns.

Oh hey, just striking a pose here.

This Is The End stars: James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, and a million other people.  All of the actors, both listed above and the million not listed,  played themselves, or at least used their real names and referred to roles they have played in the past i.e. 127 Hours, Pineapple Express.  This created a kind of awkward comfort surrounding the plot; you feel as though you're a fly on the wall of celebrities and then hope it's a bad dream.  One of the issues I found with this real/fake whatever world was that I was constantly questioning what I was seeing, for instance: does Michael Cera really do cocaine at parties and become a giant turd?  The answer: I'm not sure, but it made me have to stop and think about it, and I don't like when my brain "hiccups" during the follow along process; I lose a step and feel pulled out of the story.  Like Mac's spinning wheel of death.

 Um hello?? 

As for the story of this film, it's really easy to say what was happening.  We follow all of these celebrities as they party away at James Franco's new house, until suddenly the world starts shaking and beams of blue light shoot down from the sky and suck select individuals up into the clouds, all the while, the rest of Hollywood is burning and people are going crazy.  For all 'We the Viewer' know the Laker's just won the championship, but really what we are witnessing is the End of Days, Biblically of course.

This must be Shaq's ring.

The story then takes a huge turn; within the Franco home we witness a huge social struggle between the names I listed above.  Each of these 6 dudes finds himself at one point in time faced with some form of animosity towards the others, whether it revolves around food, personal space, venturing outside, being attacked by Emma Watson, blah blah blah.  As this happens, we witness Jay Baruchel (pseudo main character) somehow identify what is happening and slowly spread his beliefs around the house, only to have his words fall upon scrutinous ears.  Well he manages to persuade them one by one, and eventually the film ends, semi-happily.

Now one thing about this film which surprised me a lot was the quality of acting.  I know this sounds weird, after all we are talking about many of the same actors from Pineapple Express.  However, these gentlemen succeeded in conveying true fear, panic, exhaustion, remorse, anguish, etc. etc. etc.  Who knew they were actual actors and not just funny guys?  So, bravo to their versatility!

Don't look surprised guys, that's my job.

The problem I had with this film was that it was super hyped to me from many people.  Needless to say my expectations were very high for this film and apparently I needed to be very high to see where that hype belonged.  The problem with stoner comedies is that, from time to time, a lot of the intended and situational humor revolves around the notion that 'We the Viewer' are ourselves stoned.  So if you were like me, not stoned while watching this, then a lot of the "schtick" was sort of flat.  Don't get me wrong, I loved watching Michael Cera get impaled by a street lamp and dragged down into the worlds abyss and seeing Jonah Hill on fire, but seeing grown men cower in a corner from whatever it was they were cowering from, not necessarily the funniest thing.  Having said this, I feel a lot of these issues were fixed by the world's most bizarre ending.  This my dear reader, I will leave for you to find out.  Popcorn or Snore's Back Alright!



Final Words: Medium Popcorn 

This film got to be a little dry and extremely senseless, yet something kept me wanting to see more.  As can be expected the language, many of the scenes, and quite a lot of the special effects were not suitable for the young, squeamish, weak at heart, Churchy, or anybody with strong morals.  If you were not mentioned, or don't care, go ahead and see this, you may find it more enjoyable, but possibly less.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

Until next time, happy viewing!

Review Rating based on popcorn sizes: small, medium, large, extra-large; 

films worth skipping get snore...zzzzz