This Is the End

A homemade movie by a bunch of friends which was meant to remain undiscovered, the same way as all other homemade movies are. As funny as it sounds on the paper, the realization came out pretty flaky. Rogen and Goldberg should have had the sense not to let themselves stand behind the camera. It all holds together purely thanks to the cast. Everybody, without exception, is clearly having fun. Which is also the reason why I concentrate more on the bonus materials and reviews rather than on the movie itself which, in its humor and style, is on exactly the same wave as everything else that Rogen has written so far. (2013-09-20)

Smarter than most viewers are willing to admit. Rogen's humor goes over the edge many times, but who can be mad when it's done in such a self-deprecating and ironic way. The studio execs must have freaked out at the test screening, which makes me wish Rogen and his crew all the more for the commercial success they've had overseas. Deservedly so, it’s probably the most sincere A-film to come out of the "dream factory" in years. (2013-09-16)

Mission accomplished. Rihanna shook her ass, Hermione smacked Rogen in the face with an axe, Hill tried an exorcism on his own body, and Craig Robinson scored the most iconic line ever uttered at the gates of heaven. The humour is inconsistent and often misses the mark, the script impresses more as a sequence of various parodies than as a crazy whole, and the gory scenes are overly self-indulgent and unnecessary, but as an American one-off crap, it maintains a very tolerable level. Moreover, the actors were beautifully cast, and their dimensionless honesty and spitting on their own characters shows that Hollywood stars are not just superheroes and charitable icons. Robert Downey should have been here, though :D 70% (2013-12-08)

From about half way through this was an improvised commercial for the Bible and MilkyWay, packed with snappy lines. Sumptuous sub-plots and cameos never seen before. Rihanna burns in hellfire, Michael Cera didn’t disappoint for the first time in his life, Hermione has an ax and Tatum delivers another good one this year. Everybody in the main gang rocks, but I rooted for Franco the most. I guffawed loud and frequently. I’m glad they’re doing the sequel to Pineapple Express. (2013-09-17)

This is the End is a comedy that is pulled from mediocrity by the actors playing themselves, a large number of parody and WTF scenes, but it is also marred by a number of silly and cheesy sequences that probably couldn't be avoided in a film like this. The best moments were a pretty funny parody of The Exorcist and a heavenly cameo by an unnamed band. In short, a film that satisfies as an average one-off and there is not the slightest need for anyone to ever see it again. (2014-11-14)