There are some things in life that can be so horribly bad, they’re actually good. “Meet the Spartans” is not one of those things.
The “masterminds” behind “Date Movie” and “Epic Movie” return with a spoof of “300,” a movie that depicts the battles between 300 Spartan warriors and a Persian army.
Writer-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer inject the film with pop culture references and recycled movie parodies.
Sean Maguire portrays Spartan King Leonidas, who leaves his homeland of Sparta and his beautiful wife Margo (Carmen Electra), who stays behind to rally support for her husband. With a dozen, not 300, “soldiers” to fight the invading Persians, led by Xerxes (Ken Davitian), Leonidas engages in a series of joke-after-joke incidents.
In a scene that evokes the slow-motion drama of “300,” an awful look-alike of Britney Spears shaves her head while singing with a baby doll. Seeing Leonidas kick her into a black pit is predictable, but it’s hard to not laugh at it.
Some jokes are overplayed and eventually become redundant. When the overweight Xerxes tells Leonidas to bow on one knee, he refuses and engages in feminine high-fiving with his soldiers. In another scene, the soldiers kiss each other and prance around to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Plus, there are many homophobic jokes that make the movie unfunny.
The film pokes fun at so many movies and television shows that it is hard to keep up with the references. “Yo Mamma,” “Shrek,” “Rocky Balboa,” and “Borat” are a few that are spoofed. Even “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” are parodied. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Saved by the Bell” received attention in “Meet the Spartans 2.”
The moviegoer must have knowledge of many recent movies, TV shows and celebrity gossip to understand the numerous pop culture references.
Since I didn’t see “Galaxy Quest,” I didn’t understand what the Spartans meant by the parodied motto, “Never give up, never surrender!” until after the movie. If you don’t read TMZ or see many movies, this film isn’t the best option for you.
Most of the movie looks like it was shot on a high school stage. The props and scenes are crudely crafted, but it adds to the satirical element of the film.
The movie clocks in at 84 minutes with an unprecedented 19 minutes of credits. You’ll be out of the theater quickly, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“Meet the Spartans” is a primitive version of the “Scary Movie” films, but if you enjoy seeing ancient Greek soldiers step dance, this is worth your $9.
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