This is the End (2013)
Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen
Writers: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Directors: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Synopsis (From Sony Pictures):
This is the End follows six friends
trapped in a house after a series of strange and catastrophic events
devastate Los Angeles. As the world unravels outside, dwindling
supplies and cabin fever threaten to tear apart the friendships
inside. Eventually, they are forced to leave the house, facing their
fate and the true meaning of friendship and redemption.
Review:
I had reservations about checking out
This is the End. I love stoner flicks like Smiley Face and Dazed and
Confused, but I'm not too big on fart joke type comedies. I do have a
few exceptions, but then there's stuff like The Hangover films, which
I think are about as funny as being diagnosed with cancer. I am even
pretty divided on the writing work of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg; Superbad
I still consider their best. However, with This is the End, at least
I can say it's one of those “few exceptions” when it comes to
fart joke movies.
It's not even the comedy aspect of this
film that made me like it. For sure, I laughed, but what really won
me over was the premise. The idea of the actors playing overblown
versions of themselves in the event of an impending apocalypse was
pretty genius. Add that to the entire thing being a giant genre mash-up (Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, AND Comedy) and being able to pull it off is impressive.
On the acting front, everyone involved
is pretty excellent. Craig Robinson and Danny McBride are the show
stealers in the laughs department, and Jay Baruchel is just all
around awesome. Even actors I'm not overly crazy about (Jonah Hill)
are pretty on point.
This is the End is a special effects
extravaganza. It largely consists of CGI; I realize that puts a lot
of people off, but it's not too bad here. In this day and age, if
you're making an apocalypse movie and wanting to go big with it, CGI
is pretty much a necessity. Nothing looks 100% real, but given the
nature of the film, that's totally acceptable. The fiery setting
outside of Franco's house looks about what I would imagine if I were
under similar circumstances, so no complaints. For practical FX, KNB
brings some fun and nasty gags to the table. I don't want to give too
much away here, but I'm just gonna say 'head-cam' is awesome, and
leave it at that.
For music, there's a good mix of
rock/rap and score, and I was more than satisfied. Backstreet Boys,
Cypress Hill, KRS- One, Black Sabbath and many others round out the
list, and Henry Jackman composes the film music. Given that the movie
taps into so many different genres, coming up with the music would be
quite a task, I'd imagine. With that being said, it's a job well done
from Jackman.
Final Word:
So at the end of the day, and with
somewhat expecting it to be passable at best and intolerable at
worst, This is the End turned out to be pretty awesome. Great
cinematography from Brandon Trost (as per usual), fun and concise
story and direction from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and good
performances all across the board. Recommended for fans of apocalypse
films.
DVD & Blu-ray:
This is the End comes from SonyPictures Home Entertainment, available on Blu-ray, Combo Pack, DVD &
Digital October 1st, 2013. Combo Pack includes Blu-ray,
DVD, & Digital HD Ultra Violet.
The film is presented in 2.40:1
Anamorphic Widescreen, with audio for English (in 5.1 Dolby Digital)
and French. Subtitles included are English, English SDH, and French.
Blu-ray Exclusive Bonus Material
Deleted Scenes
This is the Gag Reel
Line-O-Ramas Blooper Reel – Back-to-back shots of the actors' different delivery of certain lines from the film, including:
- Sleepover
- Cum Battle
- We Don't Know You Man!
Six Featurettes:
- Meta-Apocalypse - The cast discusses the unique acting challenges of playing versions of themselves.
- Let's Get Technical - A look at the visual effects and technical aspects of the film.
- Party Time - A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the party scene at James Franco's house, including the celebrity friends who showed up.
- The Cannibal King - Channing Tatum and Danny McBride take us on set and show us how it really was filming their scenes together.
- The Making of "The Making of Pineapple Express 2" - A behind-the-scenes look at the cast making the sequel to Pineapple Express.
- "Jay & Seth vs. The Apocalypse - The Original Short" - The original short that inspired the film.
Blu-ray and DVD Bonus Material
Commentary with directors Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Directing Your Friends Featurette - Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg discuss what it's like to make a film with their friends & hear from the cast about their experiences.
This is Marketing - Marketing outtakes, cast featurette, redband sizzle trailer, & four additional confessionals:
- Aziz Haunts Craig Confessional
- James & Danny Confessional
- Jonah Confessional
- Seth & Jay Confessional
Order the DVD with Digital Copy HERE.
Order the Instant Video HERE.
- Eric (Brobocop)
