'This is The End' Review Roundup: Critics Call Film Compelling and Amusing

This weekend "This is the End" will open nationwide.

The film, which stars James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, and Emma Watson, tells the story of many celebrities who are faced with the apocalypse while attending a party at James Franco's house.

The movie premiered to great reviews and currently holds a 79% aggregate score on Rotten Tomatoes. Rafer Guzman of Newsday gave the film three stars out of Four and stated," With no outsiders to coddle, this tight-knit ensemble locks into a groove and reaches some truly giddy heights, turning even the weakest material (a spoof of 'The Exorcist') into anarchic fun."

Michael Philips of the Chicago Tribune also enjoyed the film stating, "The thing really moves. Even the grottiest bits have a way of hitting their marks and darting onward, the way they did in 'Borat.'"

Todd McCarthy of the Hollywood Reporter added, "The seemingly exhausted gross-out comedy genre gets a strange temporary reprieve with This Is the End, an unlikable but weirdly compelling apocalyptic fantasy."

However, the film did have its detractors. Andrew O'Heir of Salon said, "I enjoyed the hell out of it for a while, but it got irritating and self-congratulatory long before it was over and I desperately do not want to see it again."

Tom Keogh of the Seattle Times gave the movie one star out of four and wrote, "A story lurching moment-to-moment for inspiration, or full of ceaseless gags about every bodily fluid, or featuring rape jokes or the sight of Franco spitting food into Hill's mouth, doesn't pass as wit."

The film was directed by Rogen and Evan Goldberg (Superbad) and also stars Jay Baruchel, Rihanna, Paul Rudd, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

"This is the End" opens in 2,900 theaters and is rated R for crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, drug use and some violence.