In what stands to be the funniest movie of 2013, "This is the End" finally makes its way from the big screen to DVD and Blu-ray.
The formula, while conceptually simplistic, is relentlessly hilarious. One-part stoner comedy and one-part apocalypse epic, "This is the End" sports a proverbial laundry list of the funniest comedians in the business today. The central cast alone consists of Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and Jonah Hill. However, the list continues with the endless parade of cameos, including everyone from Rihanna to Emma Watson. Best of all, everyone in the movie plays a caricature of themselves in varying degrees.
The cast of who's who collects at James Franco's house for a rager party when the worst earthquake in California's history hits Los Angeles. Jay Baruchel, who's in town visiting Seth Rogen, is reluctant to attend out of fear of feeling left out. Regardless, the two attend and end up barricaded inside Franco's house fighting for their lives against satanic demons, party crashing Danny McBride and a possessed Jonah Hill.
Most movies with all-star casts rarely live up to the collective billing, but "This is the End" manages to divvy up the laughs proportionately amongst the cast's central characters, leaving the cameo and bit parts to be executed perfectly. The movie can best be described as an apocalyptic "Grown Ups" with better casting, better writing, better acting and overall betterment on all fronts. The only common denominator that remains is a theme of actors playing themselves and an all-friend cast.
There's a level of familiarity exhibited in "This is the End" that makes for an authentic interaction between characters. This authenticity permeates every level of the movie, which benefits the improv nature of the jokes. This particular friendship circle is so familiar with one another that it raises the overall quality of the film. Simply put, the movie is a fast-paced, laugh-packed thrill ride and a final product that is as good as the sum of its parts, which, in the case of "This is the End," means near comedic perfection.
The DVD special features are satisfying but could have been more all-inclusive. There's a vignette on friends directing friends, a series of promotional outtakes and a directors' commentary with Rogen and Evan Goldberg.