The end is nigh!

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2013)

Seth Rogen's directorial debut "This Is The End" is the newest hit comedy to tear up the "Box Office". Surprisingly, it has not only gained the acclaim of cinema audiences, but of film critics as well, earning a stable 83% on "Rotten Tomatoes". James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson and Seth Rogen among many other well known celebrities play themselves. Or rather over the top versions of themselves. It follows a fairly simple plot, Jay Baruchel arrives at Los Angeles to spend some time with his old, somewhat estranged friend Seth Rogen. They immediately head to Seth's house where they smoke weed and binge eat. Later on Seth tells Jay that he is invited to James Franco's housewarming party and that he would like Jay to accompany him. Despite being wary of going, Jay finally accepts Seth's offer and they head out for the night. Upon arriving at Franco's house they are greeted by James himself. In the film Franco is portrayed as an art loving pseudo-intellectual in contrast to Rogen who is presented as a stereotypical pothead, the kind he plays so often. We soon see Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson. Hill is portrayed as ultra nice and Robinson as a sex obsessed smooth talker. Among the party guests there are stars like Michael Cera, Emma Watson and even Rihanna, who luckily is killed off soon enough. Jay and Seth decide to go to a local kiosk to get cigarettes. Just as they approach the shop's counter blue lights shoot through the roof and lift several store customers up to the sky. They both panic and attempt to flee back to the party. The streets are filled with chaos, from explosions to vehicle crashes. They manage to get back to the party, but a massive earthquake will soon shatter their relief and begin none other than the apocalypse.
This is quite frankly a genuinely funny film. Yes, it does sometimes buy into cheap slapstick gags, but it is entertaining at all times and even has some golden moments. Jonah Hill's performance was by far my favorite part of this film. He has proved that he can be great in dramatic and comedic roles, or even a both at the same time. He proved this with 2011′s baseball drama "Moneyball", even with his early films like "Superbad" and I have no doubt that he'll prove it again with Martin Scorsese's upcoming crime drama "The Wolf of Wall Street". I love the fact that these actors aren't afraid to poke fun at themselves and doing so provide some great, subtle humor. One of my favorite moments in the film is a certain reference, to a certain film where someone is impregnated by the devil (Rosemary's Baby). The reference was extremely obvious, but to me it was incredibly funny mostly because "Rosemary's Baby" is one of my favorite films.
It feels a bit childish at times, but ultimately "This Is The End" is a fresh, new comedy that will most certainly make you laugh at least once. It has a fair share of loud , blaring humor, but it also has some moments of subtlety that if noticed will definitely enrich the comedic experience. I immensely enjoyed it and would love to see it again in some time.