This Is the End (2013)

This Is the End is everything you'd expect of a movie both directed and written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and I mean this in the best way possible.

Jay Baruchel, who is paying a visit to Seth Rogen in Los Angeles, is dragged to a housewarming party at James Franco's. It's clear that sins of various kinds are committed by a majority of the celebrities in attendance and of course, within the first thirty minutes of the film, when the apocalypse begins to run its course, the sinning actors are thrown into a fiery chasm that opens up in Franco's front yard, leaving only a few remaining survivors trapped in Franco's house. In a movie where actors play exaggerated, tabloid-versions of themselves, it'd be easy to turn the film into a vanity project. Instead, the audience is taken along for the ride and what a ride it is! Funny one-liners and hilarious jokes made at the expense of the actors are thrown at us almost constantly; not even the approach of judgment day can stop quips at Jonah Hill's post-Oscar nomination film choices and Seth Rogen's role in The Green Hornet from being made.

There were certain moments in the film that were strangely terrifying and hilarious simultaneously, which is a feat rarely accomplished by movies claiming to be horror comedies. There are excellent, well-written scenes that parody The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby; they manage to make a demonic possession comedic. There are very well-endowed devils born from the underworld now running rampant on Earth. The movie, while funnier than I ever expected, was also gorier than expected, with no shortage of bloody killings (Michael Cera gets a particularly gruesome death) and even some cannibalism. A sweet emotional undercurrent runs throughout the film; while this film is as crass and raunchy as you might expect it to be, underlying feelings of hope and ultimately, friendship of the purest kind, ties the movie together.

For those that do not enjoy this particular brand of movie, the kind that exploits crude and sexual humor to as far as society will let it, this movie will not be enjoyable. Those that can get past that will be surprised by just how funny and well-crafted the movie can be.