Review: THIS IS THE END

THIS IS THE END  (COMEDY/HORROR)
Three and a Half out of Four Stars
Directed by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg
Starring:  Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Emma Watson, Michael Cera
R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence.
Verdict:  It's an idea so simple and hysterically funny that it's a wonder that nobody thought of it before, but also played more directly and unapologetic than what might have seemed acceptable.  Bizarre, extremely gross and achingly funny; it isn't for all tastes, but it is brilliant in the stupidest way.

THIS IS THE END is the funniest film to come along in recent memory and also one of the most disgusting.  The concept is so funny and so simple; it's a wonder that no one thought of it before, but the idea isn't what really makes it, I guess.  What really pulls this film together is Seth Rogen's and Evan Goldberg's (the writing team behind SUPERBAD) directorial debut and writing that is so unapologetic and ballsy in the midst of a story so extreme, where most filmmakers would more likely look for some way to avoid the natural, but dangerously ridiculous flow.
It is a hilarious realization of the scenario which all conservative small town congregations have been talking about for years: the destruction of vain, hedonistic Hollywood in the midst of the Rapture as described in the Book of Revelation.  With an impressive cast of big Hollywood names (with a particular slant toward comedic actors) playing exaggerated versions of their real-life selves, Jay Baruchel and Rogen take the leads, with Baruchel arriving in Los Angeles from Canada to hang out with fellow Canuck, Rogen, for the weekend.  Hoping to spend the whole weekend playing 3D video games while smoking marijuana, Baruchel's plans are upset when Rogen insists that they all go hang out with his Hollywood friends at a housewarming party for James Franco.  Baruchel is uncomfortable with the Hollywood community (Emma Watson and Craig Robinson suggest that he may be a hipster, what with not liking FORREST GUMP), but he goes along reluctantly.  During the party in Franco's enormous, fortress-like mansion, the ground begins to shake, this first being dismissed as another California earthquake, but then some people are lifted into the sky by beams of blue light and enormous, fiery sinkholes form in the ground.  After the initial catastrophe kills off (or otherwise drags to Hell) most of Franco's house guests, Franco, Rogen, Baruchel, Robinson, Jonah Hill and Danny McBride hole up in the mansion, struggling to survive the Apocalypse and each other's company.
The story is very loose; basically the apocalypse starts and celebrities struggle to survive, while a little bit goes on with Rogen's and Baruchel's strained relationship; but this is obviously for the best as it allows for the attention to focus on the gags, which a fired rapidly and with a better than average success rate.  The base concept of celebrities playing themselves is alone one of the absolute funniest elements of the film, with Franco as the weirdo artiste who keeps a collection of props in his basement, Hill as the condescendingly kind guy and comedian with the credibility of an Oscar nomination, and so on.  Emma Watson (Hermione from the Harry Potter films) and Michael Cera in particular are scene-stealers, with Cera playing as a hard-edged, cocaine-addicted sexual deviant, and Watson, who spends some brief time with the guys in the mansion before she overhears them debating over the six guys locked up with one girl issue.  McBride, not the most likable comedian, is perfectly suited to the antagonist role, the biggest douchebag in Hollywood.
Just in case you didn't notice yet though, THIS IS THE END will not appeal to everyone's tastes, although that fact has a lot to do with makes it so great for those it does agree with.  In addition to featuring a great deal of the most disgusting and ridiculous sex-related jokes ever on screen and a wide assortment of politically-incorrect elements, the Apocalypse provides opportunities for a hefty amount of extreme gory deaths.  Honestly though, while making the stomach churn, it will also make your abdominal muscles quite sore from the bounteous laugh-out-loud moments.
The way it takes on the most ridiculous elements of its Apocalyptic concept is most refreshing, making no apologies for the Biblical proportions and the third act is beautifully bold and surprising.  As far as comedies go, THIS IS THE END is everything you could want and more, and there's too many lines that deserve quoting that you can't remember them all.  A comedy with balls this size (in more ways than one) only comes along every so many years.