This Is the End

This Is the End
source
Name	This Is the End
Director	Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Producer	Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Lorne Michaels
Writer	Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
Starring	James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson
Music	Christopher Lennertz
Cinematography	Brandon Trost
Editing	Zene Baker
Studio	Point Grey Pictures, Good Universe, Columbia Pictures
Distributor	Columbia Pictures
Released	June 12, 2013
Runtime	107 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

This Is the End

This Is the End is a 2013 American apocalyptic disaster comedy film written and directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The ensemble piece stars a fictionalized version of several Hollywood actors caught in a catastrophic event while holed up in a Los Angeles residence. The film blends dark comedy, buddy comedy, and horror elements, featuring cameos from entertainers and public figures across film, television, music, and sports.

Plot

During a house party at James Franco's mansion, actors Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, and Craig Robinson attend a reunion fuelled by drug use and celebrity banter. When a series of inexplicable earthquakes and heavenly fury strike Los Angeles, the group retreats into the house alongside guests including Emma Watson, Michael Cera, Jason Segel, and Paul Rudd. As panic spreads to nearby landmarks such as Hollywood Boulevard and scenes referencing Griffith Observatory and Sunset Strip, survivors grapple with scarcity, moral collapse, and supernatural phenomena evoking narratives from Revelation and apocalyptic imagery akin to The Omen and The Exorcist.

Isolated, interpersonal tensions escalate into violent conflicts and comic betrayals: alliances shift among Rogen, Baruchel, and Hill while McBride’s character embodies hedonism and Robinson tries to mediate. The film incorporates episodes of celebrity satire—encounters with a demonic Channing Tatum look-alike and a Satanic negotiation led by an exaggerated Rihanna-adjacent persona—culminating in a pilgrimage to Mount Sinai-style imagery and a final showdown with a horned antagonist reminiscent of classical depictions of Satan in popular culture. Redemption arcs, sacrificial themes, and riffs on contemporary star personas resolve in a finale that juxtaposes survival with metafictional commentary on fame and responsibility.

Cast

Principal performers portray heightened versions of themselves: James Franco as a narcissistic host, Seth Rogen as a self-aware stoner actor, Jay Baruchel as a neurotic outsider, Jonah Hill as an impulsive partygoer, Danny McBride as an unscrupulous hedonist, and Craig Robinson as the reluctant voice of conscience. Supporting cameos and roles include Emma Watson as a conflicted former child star, Michael Cera in an extended cameo invoking earlier roles, Jason Segel and Paul Rudd as friends offering pragmatic counsel, and musicians and athletes in brief appearances such as James Corden and Miley Cyrus. Behind-the-scenes personnel feature collaborators like producers Lorne Michaels and crew linked to Point Grey Pictures and Good Universe.

Production

Rogen and Goldberg developed the script after collaborations on Superbad and Pineapple Express, pitching a self-referential apocalypse that would leverage celebrity cameos and improvisational comedy similar to practices on Saturday Night Live and comedy ensembles like those in The Lonely Island. Principal photography took place in and around Los Angeles, with set work at soundstages associated with Columbia Pictures and location shoots referencing iconic sites such as Echo Park and Hollywood Hills. The filmmakers cast friends and contemporaries from independent and mainstream comedy scenes—actors connected to Judd Apatow's productions and alumni from Saturday Night Live—aiming for naturalistic interplay grounded by scripted beats and improvisation. Visual effects vendors experienced in disaster sequences contributed to shots of collapsing landmarks and demonic manifestations, invoking technical precedents from films like 2012 while retaining a low-budget comedic aesthetic linked to Indie film production strategies.

Release and reception

The film premiered at festivals and had a wide theatrical release through Sony Pictures Releasing in June 2013, positioned against summer blockbusters from studios such as Marvel Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures. Critical response highlighted the cast’s chemistry and audacious humor, drawing comparisons to ensemble comedies like The Hangover and satirical works referencing celebrity culture such as Tropic Thunder. Reviews praised choreography of cameos and the blending of horror tropes, while detractors cited tonal unevenness and scatological humor. At the box office it achieved solid returns relative to budget, buoyed by positive word-of-mouth from audiences familiar with the filmographies of leads and the cult appeal among followers of Seth Rogen and James Franco.

Soundtrack

Composer Christopher Lennertz provided an original score that mixed orchestral cues with pop and hip-hop tracks. The soundtrack album includes licensed songs and comedic interludes performed by cast members and guest artists, featuring music analogous to playlists curated by entertainers such as Kanye West, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar for tonal contrast. Licensed selections referenced era-appropriate hits and novelty tracks used diegetically during party scenes, aligning with music clearance practices employed in comedies produced by entities like Columbia Records and Interscope Records.

Home media and legacy

This Is the End was released on DVD and Blu-ray with extended footage, alternate takes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes documenting improvisation and cameo coordination, marketed through retailers and digital platforms associated with Sony Entertainment Network and major streaming services. Over time the film has been cited in discussions of celebrity self-parody alongside films and series such as Being John Malkovich, Extras, and Episodes; it influenced subsequent ensemble satires that mix disaster motifs with meta-comedy. The movie also contributed to ongoing collaborations among the principal cast in later projects linked to Point Grey Pictures and helped cement comedic partnerships visible in festival circuits and streaming comedy specials.

Category:2013 films Category:American comedy films Category:Apocalyptic films