Meet the Spartans, from the writers and directors of Date Movie and Epic Movie, is a light-hearted spoof of last years blockbuster 300. Knowing who wrote and directed the movie should give you a good idea of what to expect from the movie. In other words, don’t expect much (as in at all) and you won’t be disappointed. Unlike the atrocity known as Date Movie, Meet the Spartans is actually somewhat watchable if you don’t mind turning off your brain for just over an hour.
The movie follows the plot of 300 pretty faithfully, but it obviously takes considerable license with the facts. Besides revisionist history, the production also mixes-in prominent placement ads for everything from Gatorade, Grey Goose Vodka, Dentyne Ice to Budweiser, all the while taking potshots at a variety of movies, TV shows and cultural icons. Everyone is fair game, from the crew of American Idol to Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Sanjaya. They’ve got no problem picking on somebody, but you have to wonder why they feel the need to go so far. Maybe it’s their way of making themselves feel better.
The movie references movies and tv show like Oprah, Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Deal or No Deal, Happy Feet, Ghost Rider, Transformers, Spider-Man and a lot more. Unfortunately, almost all of the skits fall flat, since they have nothing of insight to share about the subject. Instead they try using them for a quick laugh when they don’t realize they need to have something worth laughing about when mocking the movies/shows.
The acting is what you can expect from a movie like this, over the top theatrics with a dash of attempted seriousness. Carmen Electra is hot, as usual, and at times you find yourself wishing for a wardrobe malfunction to spice things up a bit. The homosexual overtones get old and fast. Overall don’t expect anything of depth and you might find yourself amused. While Meet the Spartans may be watchable, it still should be considered for what it is… a poor attempt at humor.