Written and edited by Matt Wilson

WARNING: SPOILERS ALERT

 

On seeing a film that includes Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and James Franco, you’d think that This is the End would be a film well worth watching. Especially as the film is written, directed and produced by Evan Goldberg, a man who, along with Rogen, was heavily involved in the making of Knocked Up, Superbad and Pineapple Express. And if that was not enough, then surely the realisation that all the leads in this film have worked together in numerous successful comedy films tells you that the chemistry will push This is the End towards becoming a great film. Right? Well, if you were thinking any of these, then you’ve hit the nail on the head.

In this film, Rogen, Baruchel, Franco, (Craig) Robinson, (Jonah) Hill and (Danny) Mcbride play themselves. This isn’t really used much in films, and when it is used it’s usually with only one or two actors given the task of creating an extreme version of themselves. However in this film, there are no fictional characters (at least not human characters), and this works well. The film begins with Rogen waiting in an airport in L.A for his friend, Baruchel, who’s planning to stay with him for a few days. From the start, it is made clear that Baruchel, or at least the version of himself that he is playing, does not like the lifestyle of ‘traditional’ actors who ‘live it big’ in L.A, which is why he only visits a few times a year to see his best friend. This being made obvious at the start of the film foreshadows what will happen in relation to Baruchel’s friendship with Rogen. It also explains why, after catching up at Rogen’s apartment, he doesn’t want to go to James Franco’s house, which is the setting for most of the film. 

After he is coerced into accompanying Rogen, at the promise that Rogen will not abandon him, the audience feels the awkwardness in Baruchel’s character through his extremely commendable performance as the shy outsider, especially in scenes with Jonah Hill, who acts overly nice to Baruchel in order to try and please Rogen, who has told them both to try and mend their relationship. This uncomfortable feel between the two of them continues throughout the film, and it acts as the backbone of the hatred theme in this film.

Now you may be saying ‘wait a minute. Surely that shows friendship.’ Well yes, you would think that, until Baruchel snaps and punches Hill in the face, leading to him asking God to kill Jay. Who would have seen that coming?

The overriding theme in this film, rather unsurprisingly seeing as it’s an end-of-the-world kind of film, is religion, and yet it is not overdone or made cheesy. This is not a film that rubs Christianity in your face and demand that you believe that the things happening in the film could actually happen. Instead it mocks actors with no sign of holding back, showing that they are not ‘worthy enough’ to get into heaven, which Baruchel says in the film is because they are paid far too much (I wonder how much they were paid for this film). But there was also more risqué comic explanation for why they personally couldn’t make it to heaven, including James Franco admitting to having had sex with Lindsay Lohan. Despite this, along with so much more of this style of comedy, there have not been any worldwide scandals or complaints about this, and so I assume that it’s all been taken in good spirit.

On the very odd occasion however, This is the End may go a little too far for comic reasons, the main example being the devil crawling up Jonah Hill’s bed with an erection, and with Hill later making the transition into a demon, it implies that Rogen and Goldberg went for a very different meaning to the phrase ‘possessed by the devil’. Some people may also think that the discussion between the six main characters about raping Emma Watson when she returns to the house may be pushing it a tad far, but again there have been no uproar’s, and so it seems there aren’t very many who feel this way.

Our collective take on This is the End is that, despite very minor slip-ups, and the odd step-too-far moment, the film is a large success, with plenty of laughs, lots of big-time cameos, and also maybe a few tears, steering this film to greatness. This film has more twists and turns than a Formula One track, in plot and themes, managing to include friendship, sacrifice and drugs amongst others, which ensures that you never get bored. And if you were born in the 90’s, then you won’t forgot the ending any time soon.