BEFORE: Now that I've visited The World's End, let's get back to the, umm, the world's end. Linking from "The World's End", Martin Freeman was also in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy", and the voice of the ship's computer in that film was provided by Thomas Lennon (last seen in "We're the Millers"), who's seen in tonight's film.
AFTER: It's a little tough to say if this film is trying to stay faithful to the Book of Revelation, or trying hard to poke fun at it, because it depicts a rapture much like the one that Christians have anticipated by reading between the lines of that Bible book, but it also showcases how logistically unlikely the whole thing is. People disappearing all at once, leaving behind their clothes and half-eaten meals - what if one of the faithful was driving a truck or flying a plane, what happens then?
But this is really a film about those left behind, the people who didn't go to church and went out and had fun instead. They have to live in a world with post-apocalyptic conditions, like taunting locusts, cursing crows and downpours of blood. Plus there are flaming meteors falling randomly from the sky. This is another film very light on the science and logistics, you just sort of have to buy into the rapture and believe that all these things can happen, without people being driven insane.
Most annoying of all would probably be knowing that there definitely IS a heaven, and you're not on the guest list. But then, what happens to the people left behind when they die? Do they even die? If heaven's closed, does that mean the only other option is hell? Or maybe earth becomes hell, and hell is no longer necessary.
Plus there's the Beast to contend with. It's a little tough to say if the one portrayed here is meant to be the Beast described in Revelation, or if it's just a guy who saw his chance and stepped up to the plate. Oh, he's definitely evil, but I'm not sure if he's Biblical evil, or just human evil. Where do you draw that line, anyway?
It's not until the Beast sets his sights on a woman who he can't have that anyone even thinks of taking him down, which is a little strange. You'd think people would be lining up to dispatch the Beast if it meant they could get back on God's good side, considering all that's taking place in the world and that heaven is confirmed as real. Beyond that, there are a lot of ideas here that feel sort of half-formed - when characters admit that they don't really have a plan, it's often a sign that a screenwriter couldn't come up with one.
OK, one film left to watch in 2014, and if you've been playing along at home and gotten a feel for how I think and organize things, it shouldn't be too hard to predict what it will be.
Also starring Anna Kendrick (last seen in "Pitch Perfect"), John Francis Daley (last seen in "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone"), Craig Robinson (last seen in "Hot Tub Time Machine"), Rob Corddry (last seen in "Warm Bodies"), John Michael Higgins (also last seen in "Pitch Perfect"), Ana Gasteyer (last seen in "Dick"), Ken Jeong (last seen in "The Hangover Part III"), Rob Heubel (last seen in "Celeste & Jesse Forever"), Paul Scheer, Tyler Labine.
RATING: 4 out of 10 bowling pins
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