2013 was the year of the apocalyptic studio comedy, with two major releases on either side of the pond getting in on the action, and they even had similar titles to boot. While Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost brought their Three Flavors Cornetto Trilogy to a close with The World’s End, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg gathered the troops for the much more self-aware and meta This is the End.
Based on short film Jay and Seth Versus the Apocalypse, longtime collaborators Rogen and Goldberg wrote, produced and directed the feature-length version, roping in one of the most stacked casts ever seen in a single Hollywood comedy. The plot finds James Franco throwing a star-studded party with all of his famous friends before the apocalypse kicks in, stranding a handful of them inside as they’re forced to deal with the end of the world, cabin fever and each other.
The list of talent assembled for This is the End is nothing short of mind-boggling, and includes, but is in no way limited to, Rogen, Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Mindy Kaling, Michael Cera, Danny McBride, Paul Rudd, Kevin Hart, Channing Tatum, Aziz Ansari, Jason Segel, Rihanna and even a scene-stealing cameo from Emma Watson.
The movie was a huge hit with critics and audiences, with the ensemble clearly having a whale of a time riffing on their screen personas and sending both themselves and each other up at every opportunity. And now, almost eight years after it first hit theaters, This is the End is experiencing a resurgence on Netflix, and can currently be found at #19 on the global Top 20 most-watched movies list.