Rapture-Palooza (2013) Review

9382370_z_rapticduIn our current state of global financial ruin, worldwide catastrophes and daily new depressing news stories although it sometimes feels like we may actually be living in the end times many movies have recently decided to start making fun of the apocalypse.

Beginning with last year’s excellent Rom-Com Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, 2013 has seen This is the End, The World’s End and the upcoming It’s a Disaster all mocking the annihilation of humanity and it doesn’t end there.

Rapture-Palooza has its own slant on the apocalypse opening as it does with the rapture as predicted by the Bible where everyone who worshipped God disappears up to Heaven leaving girlfriend and boyfriend Lindsey and Ben (Anna Kendrick and John Francis Daley) left with the rest of the non-believers to face hell on earth, literally.

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Suffering through an invasion of talking locusts, torrential blood raining down, abusive trash talking crows, monstrous killer wraiths and great balls of fire the courageous couple try everything they can just to live a normal life.rpalooza_bd_3d

However when Ben’s Dad (the brilliant Rob Corddry) gets a job working for the Anti-Christ (Craig Robinson also in This is the End – man he loves Armageddon!) Lindsey finds herself the unwilling object of the son of Satan’s devilish desire. With only one option left to them the pair must work out a way to kill The Beast, as he likes to be known, before he has his wicked way with Lindsey and her loved ones and kills everyone else.

With some excellent special effects to achieve not only the apocalyptic look of the film but some great physical gags, Rapture-Palooza also has a great set up taking the religious concept of the end of days including plagues, hellfire and the Anti-Christ and pushing it into the realms of reality and therefore further into the ridiculous.

Bible torments soon become less horrible and more hilarious with unemployed pot head wraiths and TV shows on ‘most embarrassing raptures’ with things made all the more comedic by having the characters forced to suffer through it straight faced and seriouse.

Written by Bill & Ted creator Chris Matheson this is a rude, crude laugh riot of a rapture and the script balances puerile curse filled comedy with a jet black swipe at institutional religion. A TV evangelist ends up not being saved, The Beast, whose real name is Earl Gundy, starts out as a politician and God when he turns up turns out to be an utter asshole in a great cameo by comedy god Ken Jeong.

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The cast are all on fine form especially Kendrick and Robinson who play off each other wonderfully, one enchanted by the other who is absolutely repulsed. There are also some great turns from other comedy actors such as John Michael Higgins and Ana Gasteyer and Lindsey’s parents and Thomas Lennon as a lawnmower obsessed zombie.

Hell yeah it’s offensive but what do you expect from a film where the Anti-Christ is a main character but it’s also a great fun and entreatingly original horror comedy and if you love funny films full of foul mouthed obscenities and disgusting gory gags then Rapture-Palooza is the end of the world comedy for you.

Movie Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Trailer:

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Alex Humphrey

Alex studied film at the University of Kent and went on to work for Universal Pictures in their Post Room gaining an inside look at the movie industry from the very bottom. Constantly writing reviews in everything from local magazines to Hip Hop sites Alex honed his critical skills even spending a brief period as a restaurant critic. Read more

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