Twister doesn’t work when you all go at once.
Yo big party at Franco’s house! Anyone who has ever appeared on an album cover or an film where an Apatow was involved seems to have been invited. And the place is straight bananas… Apparently.
Unfortunately even celeb-power proves incapable of preventing Armageddon, and once huge fiery pits, presumably to hell, open where the front lawn was just moments ago, even the most die-hard starf*ckers lucky enough to not be killed in the initial onslaught scarper.
Only a few – to save time the ones on the poster – remain. Still startled and coming down rapidly from whatever they were recently ‘up’ on, the lads take stock and consider the options.
Survival instincts manifest in many ways. Big movie stars aren’t normally expected to carry out basic roles associated with everyday living, so the arrival of demons and the distinct possibility of a horrible death are indeed not part of the ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ playbook.
While the setup of This is the End is undeniably creative and lends itself to a great many laughs and humerous set pieces, this is where the creativity ends. Sure the banter between the stressed out actor boys is often hilarious, and the actors play up to the ‘almost’ versions of themselves to the hilt, it isn’t the constant stream of piss funny stuff that Superbad managed. The film also lacks that one home run sequence that demands you recommend it to others, though they tried a couple times to manufacture one. Let’s just say that I will be pleased as punch if I never hear Danny McBride threaten anyone with his ‘man goo’ again.
And then, as if someone says “that’ll do pig”, its all over.
This is the End is the second film featuring a bunch of lads being rudely confronted with what might prove the end of civilisation. The other being Edgar Wright’s The World’s End.
While both films are easily among the top 5 funniest films of the year, they are also text book cases of the differences between hastily thrown together comedies, and a carefully and painstakingly prepared film.
I have no doubt that This is the End capitalised upon the star power featured on the poster and the endless stream of cameos littered through the film. I have equally little doubt that once again The World’s End will be the better remembered of the pair.
Final Rating – 7.5 / 10. I liked This is the End. I laughed a lot, but it all seems so half finished, and the ending smacks of “That’s 100 minutes, wrap it up”. Very funny, but far from the classic it could have been.
