"This Is the End" Makes the Apocalypse a Very Funny Thing

Written and directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, based on the short film by Jason Stone, starring Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Danny McBride, and Jonah Hill - Rated R

The Kurgan loved it, but he thinks all end of the world movies are funny...

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewing comedies isn’t really my thing these days, but I do make exceptions for interesting comedies.  This Is the End is, at the very least, an interesting film.  End is unique not because it boasts a who’s who from comedic films of the last decade; it is different because all of the actors are playing themselves (sort of).  The fact that this is the most anticipated comedy of the year for me (and others, I assume) says something about our obsession with celebrity.  Is it an easy laugh to just have Seth Rogen play himself and riff on his past successes and failures to a knowing audience?  Yeah, but it’s still a laugh.  In a world filled with Kardashians and Real Housewives, I don’t think it’s all that terrible to use celebrity for comedy.  At least these people are doing it intentionally.  I was laughing with the guys of This Is the End; whenever I am forced to watch the other type of “celebrities,” I’m laughing at them.

 

Celebrity aside, This Is the End takes a familiar premise, the end of the world, and plays it for laughs.  It only makes sense that we’ve come to this.  There are so many hyper-serious end of the world movies out there.  Isn’t it time we laugh about it?  And honestly, who hasn’t had the conversation with their friends about what they would do if the world ended or how (zombies, rapture, aliens?) they wish it would end?  For anyone who has thought or talked about the end of the world, or needs a break from the bleakness of films like The Road, this film is for you.

 

As with all comedies, though, it all comes down to whether or not you like the actors.  I don’t want to spoil all of the cameos (although most surprises have been shown in previews), but there should be something for nearly everyone in this film.  That said, the main players are Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, and Jonah Hill.  Most people enjoy most if not all of these actors, but some might be put off by a few of them. 

 

What’s great about End is that you might like it even if you hate some of these guys.  This is a very aware movie.  Rogen comments that some people find his laugh annoying; Franco is called out for his perceived pretentiousness, etc.  Once again, these are easy laughs, but laughs nonetheless. 

 

The only issue some may have with the film is the amount of references to other works.  It’s not required that you see everything else these guys have done, but it certainly helps.  I’m a big fan of most of these actors, so I was able to pick up on references to Freaks and Geeks, Eastbound & Down, Your Highness, and Pineapple Express, to name a few.  I would say the closest thing to required viewing is Pineapple Express.  The majority of that cast is in this film, and they even film a homemade sequel to it within the film.  You might not find that sequence funny if you have no clue what they’re referencing. 

 

This Is the End is mainly about the apocalypse, though.  While it is filled with outlandish laughs, there is still the very serious threat of death and eternal damnation throughout the film.  If there is a message behind it, it’s about friendship and being a good person (which are lacking qualities among the cast of this film, apparently).  This is hardly a message film, but at least there’s a little something there. 

 

No one is going to this movie to learn about being a good person or friend.  This movie is all about the laughs.  I loved it, but as I like to point out, my sense of humor might be (and usually is) different from the general population’s.  Perhaps the main two things to keep in mind if you’re on the fence about this movie are that it’s rated R and the cast is almost exclusively male.  Some people don’t take the R rating all that seriously, but they should.  This is certainly not a comedy for children.  It’s not a comedy for easily offended adults, either.  It’s not the filthiest comedy by a long shot, but it’s definitely not squeaky clean.  As for the lack of women in the film, this didn’t bother me (probably because I’m a man), but it might be hard for some women to identify with many of the comedic moments since this is very much a movie for the guys.  In fact, when a woman finally does show up (another moment played up in the previews) the guys instantly tense up and create a very awkward situation.  I can see a lot of women enjoying it, but they are not the target audience.

 

This Is the End is a comedy tailor made for fans of the all the actors involved.  So this movie is made for people like me, which is why I loved it.  But even if it’s not for you, I think it’s possible to enjoy it.  Because even if you don’t like them, it’s still funny to watch celebrities have to deal with problems that can’t be taken care of with money and fame.  And, finally, look at it this way: if you hate some of these actors, at least you get to watch some of them die.

 

Random Thoughts (SPOILERS)

 

I didn't really mention it at all in the review itself because it was getting too long as it is, and I didn't feel like finding a logical spot to include it, but Rogen and writing/directing partner Evan Goldberg deserve a lot of credit here.  Not just for the writing and everything (they've already proven that they can write some funny stuff), but for the directing.  The death scenes were handled well, and they created a decent hellscape with what I assume is a relatively small budget for an apocalyptic film.  The CG was a little cheap-looking, but I can't imagine who would care about that.  Anyway, hats off to Rogen and Goldberg. 

 

Okay, now for the cameos that I loved.  Michael Cera.  I know, I know, it's all in the previews, but I still found him hilarious.  To take such a notoriously softspoken actor like that and turn him into a cocaine-blowing psycho is hilarious enough; to imagine that that is what Cera is like in reality makes it doubly funny. 

 

All the rest of the little cameos are great and all, but Channing Tatum showing up later as McBride's dog/sex slave was amazing.  I lost it when McBride said he had taught him to do tricks.

 

Not really a spoiler, but a final note: All of these guys yelling expletives at each other will always make me laugh, but for some reason when they do it as versions of themselves, I find it absolutely hilarious.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice"

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Matt Lopez, Doug Miro, and Carlo Bernard, starring Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, and Alfred Molina - Rated PG

The Kurgan isn't pure evil; sometimes he likes PG-rated stuff like this.

I am a Nicolas Cage fan through and through. That is why when I came across The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, I didn’t think twice about whether or not I would check it out. The film, loosely based on the mop scene from Fantasia, didn’t really sound like something I would like. But then I saw the trailer, which featured decent effects and Cage with ridiculous hair…count me in.

I mentioned that the film is loosely based on the scene from Fantasia because the mop scene is really the only connection. I might add that you should at least check out the live action version of that classic scene; I thought it was great. This movie takes the idea of the bumbling apprentice from that scene and adds a slightly complicated story to it.

The story involves the most famous sorcerer of all, Merlin, and his three apprentices: Balthazar (Cage), Veronica (Monica Bellucci), and Horvath (Alfred Molina). Horvath turns evil and sides with Morgana (Alice Krige) to take down Merlin. Balthazar is able to capture Horvath and Morgana (though Morgana inhabits Veronica’s body) in a nesting doll contraption called the Grimhold. The only person who can truly stop Morgana is the Prime Merlinian, who Balthazar spends his life searching for. Oh, and at some point, the fate of the entire world comes into play.

Okay, now that might seem like a convoluted plot and at first, it was. It’s mainly due to all the weird names: Horvath, Merlinian, Grimhold, etc. It’s easy to get past the goofy names, though. The problem is having to set up all that stuff in the first fifteen minutes. That opening is the film’s weakest moment. There is some very plain narration (enlivened a bit by an uncredited Ian McShane) and too much happens too quickly.

The bloated opening is necessary, though. The film needed to get to the aforementioned Prime Merlinian as soon as possible. The Merlinian, a physics dork named Dave, is played by Jay Baruchel, who absolutely steals the show from Cage. I’m not Baruchel’s biggest fan; his quirks in all the awkward characters he plays have always gotten on my nerves. That changed with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. I suppose it’s because he’s playing opposite of Cage. Baruchel’s perpetual befuddlement works perfectly with Cage’s strange confidence. I would’ve liked Cage to ham it up and get a bit crazier, but he still does some solid, entertaining work here. It’s just that Baruchel brings most of the laughs with his reactions.

I genuinely liked the two heroes. Most of that is due to their chemistry and the comedy, but a bit of it is due to excellent casting in the villain department. Alfred Molina simply has a menacing look and he is very enjoyable as the evil sorcerer. It’s strange, because his last role was as the comedic relief in another Disney movie, Prince of Persia, and I absolutely hated him in it. I just think Molina was born to play villains.

Back to the comedy, I have to stress that this is a family friendly movie that provides plenty of innocent laughter. I’m usually not one for “family friendly” PG rated movies, but this one impressed me. I must say, it brought out the kid in me. Don’t get me wrong, I doubt anyone will guffaw while watching this, but there are some funny bits here and there (my favorites being the references to Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark).

This isn’t just a comedy, though. It’s a film about magic and whatnot and it would be a failure if the action and effects didn’t impress. This film looks pretty great. I never felt that the effects were cheesy, even though many of them are not lifelike…if that makes sense. Mainly this is because I bought into the world created in this film. If you buy into the world, then the effects and the magic will work for you. I didn’t need explanations or long scenes of spell-studying. I was okay with Dave’s training consisting of Balthazar saying, “Focus,” while Dave messed up, often with humorous results.

Director Jon Turteltaub (the “National Treasure” movies) handles all of the action very well. Filming action segments seems to be a dying art, but Turteltaub is sticking with the old fashioned methods of actually showing action. It’s all very easy to follow and it’s doubtful that you’ll ever wonder what is going on. That might seem like light praise, but when you compare it to the insanely fast editing of other action films, you can understand why simple is often better.

The film also moves at a nice, brisk pace, even though there’s quite a bit going on since there’s a love interest for Dave thrown into the mix early on. I actually found the love story convincing and there are even a few touching moments (playing the OneRepublic song, “Secrets,” on Tesla Coils stood out). The love story gets a bit rushed in the end, but it’s forgivable.

Looking back over what I’ve written, it seems that I was very surprised by this film and I guess that’s true. I was expecting something a bit childish and mediocre and what I got was a very enjoyable, innocent film. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has a rocky start, but it hits on all cylinders after that and it ends up being a fun experience that kids and adults can enjoy.