DVD Review: Meet the Spartans Pit of Death Ed.
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer Team Up Again for Latest Parody
Jul 4, 2008
Looking to cash in on the runaway success of Frank Miller's action hit 300, writers Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer continue on their critically reviled spoof rampage, by using the Spartan tale as a backdrop for every subject matter ranging from Transformers to Spider-Man 3, from Ghost Rider to March of the Penguins (with nods to current tabloid staples such as Britney Spears and Paris Hilton).
The producers of this questionable comedy seek to maximize on the timely relevance of each parodied item, for maximum box office value. Never stop to question the relevance of American Idol in this film; there is simply no way to clearly justify why the writers would throw in so many disconnected pop-culture references, while implying it can be weaved into a well received established action film storyline.
Looking back at the writers' past works, the audience can easily see a trend in bombarding viewers with so much irrelevant content, that hopefully one or two scenes will stick out of the bunch, and make it to the theatrical trailer as a taste of the lamentable film to come.
Notable Cast Members of Meet the Spartans
At least one decent casting choice makes some measure of sense to the project, and that is to secure Kevin Sorbo (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys), who is no stranger to the tongue-in-cheek genre of ancient times action schlock. His character of Captain comfortably stands out, compared to the questionable presence of British TV actor Sean Maguire (in the key role of Leonidas), seemingly cast simply for his resemblance to Gerard Butler.
Add to this a second "franchise" appearance (can you call a series of bad spoofs a franchise?) by Carmen Electra, and you have just secured a few key market shares (i.e. Hercules TV fans, and anyone with a pulse and an interest in Electra's, er....assets.)
A few respectable comedians who reluctantly roll with the punches also appear throughout, namely Ken Davitian (the portly sidekick in Borat) and Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show).
Kudos to MADTv's versatile Nicole Parker, who brings the most memorables bits to this otherwise forgettable film: her dead-on portrayal of a disturbed and head shaved Britney Spears is perhaps the funniest (yet too short) moment in the movie (and trailer, what do you know!). She also gives us a Paris Hilton who turns to the dark side and joins Xerxes' forces in defeating the Spartan army of 13 (you've counted right, the film explains where the other 287 soldiers went, by way of green screen technology.)
Meet the Spartans Pit of Death Edition DVD Extras
Extras include the usual gag reel, some theatrical trailers, and a candid behind the scenes look at the making of this film. There are no worthy additions on this disc; even a trivia game based on pop culture references from the film, gets tired after a few rounds.
Note to the reader, this film is NOT to be taken seriously, and should only be considered for an evening of mindless, non-cerebral, mind-numbing fun. Only strongly recommended for hardcore fans of aforementioned previous spoof movies only.
