Meet the Spartans DVD

DVD Review by Kam Williams

Headline: Silly Spoof of 300 Released on DVD

The film 300 was an epic recreating the bloody Battle of Thermopylae during which King Leonidas led several hundred Spartans in a futile defense of the country against invaders from Persia. Meet the Spartans is a light-hearted spoof of that costume drama which pits a gay army against a horde of hip-hop marauders.
So, instead of macho heroes marching valiantly off to war, we’re treated to the sight of sensitive soldiers affectionately holding hands as they skip two-by-two up the trail to their fate. Although the picture fairly faithfully follows the plot of 300, it obviously does take considerable license with the facts
Seems that everyone is fair game, here, including Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, each of whom is impersonated sans panties, the PG-13 rating notwithstanding. Other celebrity look-a-likes include Ugly Betty, American Idol’s Paua Abdul, Randy Jackson, Simon Cowell, Ryan Seacrest and sexually-ambiguous also-ran Sanjaya.
This mean-spirited shock comedy is likely to make you laugh to the extent that you enjoy poking further fun at the vulnerable and the emotionally damaged. Britney definitely gets the most mud tossed in her direction, whether over shaving her head, going public with her privates, or being caught up in a nasty custody battle with K-Fed.
The film’s funniest moment arrives when internet curiosity Chris Crocker appears on screen delivering the “Leave Britney Alone!” rant that landed him his 15 minutes of fame on YouTube. Unfortunately, most of the skits fall flat, since they have nothing of insight to share about the subjects, and often end with characters being pushed into the Pit of Death as soon as the writers run out of ideas of what to do with them
Don’t expect anything of depth and you won’t be disappointed by this predigested pabulum. Mental bubblegum for the brain whose cinematic taste lasts only about as long as the viewing.

Good (2 stars)
Rated PG-13 for profanity, sexuality, crude humor and slapstick violence.
Running time: 87 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
DVD Extras: Audio commentary by the cast and crew, “Know Your Spartans Pop Culture” set-top trivia game, a gag reel, “Meet The Spartans: The Music” featurette, “Prepare For Thrusting” featurette, a tour of the set, and theatrical trailers.