Every Cameo In This Is The End Ranked

A truly out-of-left-field comedy, 2013's "This Is the End" took one of the most beloved plot points of the past few decades (the end of the world) and found a new angle. Put simply, the movie asked: "What if the apocalypse happened while an epic Hollywood party was being thrown, leaving a bunch of celebrities to deal with it?" 

Directed by Seth Rogen and frequent collaborator Evan Goldberg — and written by the same duo, along with Jason Stone, who directed the short film "Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse" — the movie is largely based on the concept that brought that short film to fruition. "Apocalypse" was so well-received that it was eventually turned into "This Is the End," and the two films were even packaged together in the Blu-ray release.

The subversive plot — with name actors playing over-the-top versions of themselves — signaled to audiences that there was a lot of fun to come. Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, James Franco, and Danny McBride filled the lead roles, trying to survive the rapture amongst a smorgasbord of blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos from other celebrities.

You can't have a party without party guests, and in the film it turns out Franco has invited a who's-who of Hollywood stardom to his housewarming bonanza. The combinations of different celebrities sharing the screen in such rapid succession effectively renders the audience into a never-ending incarnation of that meme where Leonardo DiCaprio points at his television screen.

If you've never seen the movie and don't mind spoilers, or if it's just been a while and you need a refresher, here are all the cameos in "This Is the End," ranked.

Audience members watching "This Is the End" might recognize David Krumholtz from wildly different projects. Early in his career, he starred as Bernard the elf in Disney's "Santa Clause" movies. Later, he had a recurring role in the "Harold & Kumar" films, as well as a starring role in "Numb3rs" on CBS. Like many of the other cameos in the film, he had a small part in "Superbad."

Krumholtz desperately attempts to save himself during the apocalypse earthquake, dangling from the edge of a cliff and watching poor Martin Starr fall to his death. Nearby, Jay Baruchel similarly hangs on — so Krumholtz suggests a crazy idea to get them both to safety. Hey, during the end of the world, anything's worth a shot. 

Krumholtz proposes that he grab onto Baruchel's hand, then lunge himself toward Baruchel, at which point Baruchel will use all of his body weight to propel Krumholtz upward and out of the hole. Then Krumholtz, at the surface, could in theory hoist Baruchel out. The plan, of course, fails spectacularly — the moment Krumholtz swings, Baruchel immediately drops him.

Presented as the polar opposite of the timid, hesitant-to-break-the-rules persona fans project on Cera after years of watching "Arrested Development," "Juno," "Superbad" and other projects, Michael Cera's hyperbolized depiction of himself in "This Is the End" is down to party hard. 

He slaps Rihanna on the butt. He dusts cocaine in Christopher Mintz-Plasse's face. Jay Baruchel walks in on him in the bathroom with his pants down, surrounded by several girls. George Michael Bluth, this is not.

High on multiple substances when the apocalypse begins, Cera reacts differently than the many party guests assembled in Franco's front yard, fearful for their lives. He instead takes the opportunity to make accusations about who stole his cell phone — and does so with such an unpleasant attitude that you might find yourself cheering when he begins accusing Martin Starr and the ground moves violently, impaling Cera with a light post.

The post hoists Cera into the air, and he realizes his phone was in his pocket all along. "That's embarrassing," he mumbles before falling to his doom in a giant hole created by the earthquake. The first of many celebrity deaths in the film, the dispatching of Cera signals the sharp, unexpected turns ahead.

Jason Segel is just trying to have a good time at Franco's party, but instead keeps finding himself in the middle of awkward encounters with other celebrities. 

At the party, Segel supports Rihanna when Michael Cera assaults her; later, Segel chats with Kevin Hart, lamenting what he perceives as repetitive scripts for "How I Met Your Mother." The CBS sitcom had already aired for eight seasons when "This Is The End" debuted in theaters, and would air a ninth and final season soon afterwards.

Comedian Kevin Hart swings from one end of the emotional pendulum to the other over the course of James Franco's party in "This Is The End," one moment sharing a laugh with a bud and the next letting someone fall to their death.

Prior to the earthquake, Hart has a conversation with his "Five-Year Engagement" co-star Jason Segel. The two discuss Segel's long tenure on the sitcom "How I Met Your Mother." Hart thinks the show is hilarious, while the shine seems to have faded for Segel. "It's the same thing a lot," Segel laments to Hart. He cites an example of his character pretending to not know who ate a missing birthday cake while actively having cake frosting across his face, and mimics the bit for Hart. Beside himself with laughter, Hart is in stitches and affirms to Segel that's why the show is #1. Later as the earthquake sucks celebrities into an ominous hole, Aziz Ansari pleads to Hart for help. Hart, trying to escape from the chaos himself, rejects Ansari, but in the process dies anyway.

Zombies, demon possession, monsters made out of fire... it seems that there are no rules in the apocalypse, and anything can happen. At no point in "This Is the End" is that more true than in the film's final moments, when Channing Tatum makes an appearance as himself. It should be noted that Tatum wasn't part of Franco's housewarming party earlier in the film, so his arrival toward the end comes as something of a surprise.

After being banished from Franco's home, actor Danny McBride is living on the streets, but he's doing pretty well. He's king of the cannibals, and takes advantage of the apocalyptic age everyone is living in to lead a vicious pack of humans who kill and eat other humans. At McBride's side is a man on a leash, wearing a Luchador mask. Taking off the mask, he's revealed to be none other than Tatum, who McBride is proud to note is his new sexual partner. 

As Tatum and the cannibal army devour James Franco, it results in a scene that is truly one of those "what the heck am I watching?" moments. But ultimately, it's moments like this that make "This Is the End" worth watching.

Fresh after the 2011 release of the final "Harry Potter" movie, Emma Watson makes it clear in "This Is the End" that she's not in Hogwarts anymore. 

Wielding an axe and shouting f-bombs, Watson survives the threat of apocalyptic monsters outside, then seems to find solace inside James Franco's house. But she is soon alarmed after overhearing the rest of the house's inhabitants, who are all guys, discuss whether they think she feels uncomfortable as the only female in the house. Reacting to such talk, she puts the boys in their place and then leaves the residence.

Earlier in the movie during the party, Watson and Craig Robinson have a more casual conversation with Jay Baruchel, who they peg as a hipster. Fervently denying the label, Baruchel all but confirms he is, in fact, a hipster when he admits to Robinson's suspicion of not liking films that are "universally loved," including "Forrest Gump." Watson then quotes the famous line "Life is like a box of chocolates" from the movie, perhaps giving viewers a quick peek at how she'd fare starring in a "Gump" remake.