Plot: What’s it about?
There are a handful of movies that come out in a given year that truly pique my interest. It should come as no surprise that This is the End is one of them. Not only does it star some of my favorite actors, but I love films that make fun of themselves and have little “hidden” treasures in them that only a few in the audience will catch. And really, aren’t movies that make fun of themselves so much more satisfying to sit through than those that take themselves just a tad bit too seriously? Additionally when characters play “themselves” I’ve always found it appealing as you know they’ll most likely be playing a stylized version of themselves and not just themselves. And, for the sake of this movie, why not throw in some drugs, alcohol and set it against the backdrop of the apocalypse and you’ve got yourself a movie. To say this movie is polarizing is somewhat of an understatement, I think people will turn it off in five minutes or it’ll be on their shelves for years to come. And it should come as no surprise to anyone reading this that I’m of the latter school.
The world is coming to an end! Did that work? No? Well I tried. Friends Jay Baruchel (Jay Baruchel) and Seth Rogen (Seth Rogen) haven’t seen each other in a while. Seth takes Jay back to his newly-remodeled place where they play some video games, smoke some pot and eat. Later that night they head over to James Franco’s (James Franco) place for a little soiree. It’s the typical “young Hollywood” party and we see some familiar faces like Michael Cera (Michael Cera), Mindy Kaling (Mindy Kaling) and Hermoine herself – Emma Watson (Emma Watson). Everything’s fine and good until Jay and Seth head out to restock their food supply when all of the sudden…it happens! Armageddon! Sinkholes appear out of nowhere, beams of blue light take the worthy up to heaven (better-known as the rapture), leaving Seth and Jay screaming like little bitches and running back to James’ place. So now what? The masses have fled the house only to end up, well, dead and we’re now down to a core group of six which include Craig Robinson (Craig Robinson), Jonah Hill (Jonah Hill) and, quite possibly the funniest man on the planet in Danny McBride (Danny McBride). Will they ascend into heaven and live their lives in eternal peace and harmony or are they destined to die a fiery death in James Franco’s living room?
Earlier I’d mentioned that watching some of these people was so fun since they’re essentially the new “Brat Pack.” Various factions of the cast have starred in films together like McBride and Franco in Your Highness and Pineapple Express, but they all seem like friends both in and outside the film. What’s really odd to me is that you’ve got a couple of Academy Award nominated actors here with Jonah Hill and James Franco, yet here they are doing butt jokes and screaming at the top of their lungs. If you want a visual, it’s like an entire movie of Tom Cruise’s cameo in Tropic Thunder (also starring McBride). Make sense? It’s hard to really classify the performances as good or bad since they all play (some version) of themselves, but I do find it appealing that Emma Watson is appearing in more and more movies these days. It would seem that out of the three Harry Potter kids, she’s the one most destined to be a star. If you’re looking for lowbrow humor at it’s best (and who isn’t), seeing stars get impaled and plenty of drug references, then look no further. If not, well I’m sure you’d have stopped reading by now.
Video: How’s it look?
What better way to see the world end than in Sony’s 2.40:1 AVC HD image! The picture has a few minor flaws here and there but by and large this is yet another pristine example of what to expect from a new to Blu-ray. Colors, in the beginning, are bright and bold but as the movie progresses and hell literally takes over, we get more blacks and oranges. Flesh tones are a bit off, but it’s difficult to say if it’s a fault of the transfer or not. Detail is top notch, with the tiniest intricacies being noticeable. Long story short, there’s really nothing here the viewer won’t like.
Audio: How’s it sound?
When demons come out of the ground, the Earth starts to shake and people ascend into heaven there better be a damn good soundtrack to accompany it. And, as fate would have it, we do get a very strong-sounding DTS HD Master Audio mix. Vocals are amazing, we can hear every nuance in the lead actors’ voices and even the ever-so-high pitched scream of one Craig Robinson. There’s just something about a large black man screaming like a little girl that’s so satisfying to watch! Of course it’s not all vocals and the surrounds kick in for some extra added ambiance, the LFE are kept plenty busy during the third act as well. Simply put, this is one good-sounding mix!
Supplements: What are the extras?
I’m pretty sure that Sony could have given a feature-less disc and I’d have still been happy, but thankfully they loaded it down with some supplements. Of note, Best Buy has an exclusive disc that features a UV copy while the Blu-ray (for the rest of us) is simply a Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack. There is a lot to go through, so let’s get started.
- Audio Commentary – Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen sit down and give us a pretty good commentary track. I’d have personally liked more of the cast on there, but then again that might just be another version of the movie. Rogen and Goldberg have collaborated on several other projects, so the two have plenty to say and it flows nicely.
- Directing Your Friends – Nothing hidden here, simply put Rogen and Goldberg talk about directing their real life friends and the challenges within.
- Meta-Apocalypse – What’s funnier than playing yourself? How about playing an exaggerated version of yourself! We get some quips from the cast about doing just that.
- Let’s Get Technical – Probably the first (and only) feature that’s actually straight-forward and informative as we get some details on the set and production design.
- Party Time – We get a look at the party sequence (before the Earth opened up) and the special effects contained within.
- The Cannibal King – We get some commentary from Danny McBride and Channing Tatum from one of the funnier moments in the film.
- The Making of “The Making of Pineapple Express 2“ – A quick look at IMDb shows that this is not for real, but how awesome would it be if it were! I guess we’ll have to settle for this little gem in one scene of this movie. Sigh.
- Jay & Seth vs. The Apocalypse – Essentially a shorter version of this movie.
- Line-O-Rama – Three scenes with some witty and fast-paced remarks. I’ve personally never really liked these “Line-O-Rama” features, but to those that do…
- This is the Gag Reel – Outakkes, of which I’m sure there are plenty more.
- Deleted Scenes – A series of 8 deleted scenes cut from the movie. Again, I’m sure there were many more to choose from.
- This is the Marketing – Some short sequences that were used to promote the film.
- Previews – We get some previews for some other Sony titles.
- DVD Copy
- UV Digital Copy – Best Buy version only.
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