AC/AL 2008 84m ENGLISH BN/V CAST: Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Ken Davitian, Kevin Sorbo, Diedrich Bader, Method Man, Phil Morris & Nicole Parker CREDITS: Directors/Screenwriters: Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer; Producers: Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer/Peter Safran; Director of Photography: Shawn Maurer; Production Designer: William Elliott; Editor: Peck Prior; Costume Designer: Frank Helmer; Music: Christopher Lennertz THE SYNOPSIS Ancient Greece. The City-State of Sparta is about to be attacked by the massive legions of the fat, hairy Persian Emperor Xerxes (Davitian)--who looks like the fat, hairy guy from Borat. Sparta’s King Leonidas (Maguire), with the advise & counsel of his hot wife, Queen Margo (Electra), and loyal right-hand man, Captain (Sorbo), raises an army to fight them at the mountain pass at Thermopylae. Leonidas and his men prepare to battle, as silly and goofy things happen around them. Back in Sparta, Margo must defend her husband’s valiant actions while fending off the advances of the evil, despotic Council Traitoro (Bader). More goofiness and spoofiness transpires at old Thermopylae… THE CRITIQUE MEET THE SPARTANS is latest cinematic brainchild of tag-team screenwriters-directors Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer--both of whom wrote & directed other spoof movies Date Movie (2006) & Epic Movie (2007); they also co-wrote (with others) Scary Movie (2000) & Spy Hard (1996). With this newest spoof release, these guys have become the cinematic prodigy of those other spoofsters, Team ZAZ (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams & Jerry Zucker, and screenwriter Pat Proft) of the Airplane!, Naked Gun, Hot Shots! movies)...though not as original or genuinely funny as Team ZAZ. In regard to MEET THE SPARTANS, the spoof works on some levels of humor (parodying of movies like 300 and many others) yet falling flat on topical and current events like American Idol’s Sanjaya and various popular songs of today--both of which will eventually fade into the folds of time. As I’m too lazy to write them all out, if you’re interested in a list of parodies used in the movie, click on this WikiPedia link. While the screenwriting on this type of movie is a hit-or-miss affair (e.g.: the homosexual subtext in 300 is played up for laughs--or groans...depending on which side of sexual orientation you happen to be), the direction is right on par. Directors Friedberg & Seltzer know that this is all goofy stuff and so does the cast. Luckily, everyone’s game--from British actor/pop star Sean Maguire to the always voluptuous Carmen Electra to TV’s Hercules himself, Kevin Sorbo. Even Ken Davitian (as Xerxes) has some fun wearing very little clothing and sporting nipple chains. Ewwww... Better still is the glossy, high-key cinematography of veteran lenser Shawn Maurer (Epic Movie/Date Movie/Boat Trip) --where everyone at least looks good! On a technical note, MEET THE SPARTANS was shot in a standard U.S. theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1--and not the widescreen “scope” aspect ratio of 2.39:1 used for 300--the main movie that this one parodies. Why does this matter, you query? Well, it probably doesn’t in the scheme of things, but I would’ve found the movie to be a better parody if they even aped 300’s wide cinematic canvas in earnestness. You see, that’s why Team ZAZ’s parodies worked so well--because even as they were lampooning certain movies, those filmmakers stayed true to the best facets of those parodied movies (e.g.: Airplane! lampooned disaster movies like 1957’s Zero Hour! and the 1970s Airport series by playing the action straight--while the script, dialogue, pacing & acting were all “goofied” up). Minor quibbles, but I think you get my drift! Tech credits (editing, production design, costumes, score, VFX, SFX, etc.) are solid for a $30 million budget movie (an approximate figure). They must’ve spent the money on the leftover body oil supplies from the 300 shoot! Did I like MEET THE SPARTANS? I laughed several times throughout--as well as groaned at the proceedings. But as long as these movies continue to make money, will the studios keep giving the filmmakers more moolah to make even more silly parodies. The silly, goofy cycle shall continue... THE BOTTOM LINE What else can I say? MEET THE SPARTANS is very goofy movie. I laughed a few times, but that’s all. Timely jokes won’t stand the test of Time, but physical humor always shall--and so will the bad jokes! If you liked the other spoofy dreck produced by the filmmakers, then this one’ll float your Spartan boat too. If not, there’s always the high(er)-brow humor of Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and those other SNL castaways. borat.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenwriterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_directorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film300.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet_the_spartans#Parodieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenwriting300.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_keyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematographerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspect_ratio_%28image%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Widescreenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anamorphic_format300.html300.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenplayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_designerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Costume_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_scorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_effectshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgeting300.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie_studioshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9shapeimage_2_link_10shapeimage_2_link_11shapeimage_2_link_12shapeimage_2_link_13shapeimage_2_link_14shapeimage_2_link_15shapeimage_2_link_16shapeimage_2_link_17shapeimage_2_link_18shapeimage_2_link_19shapeimage_2_link_20shapeimage_2_link_21shapeimage_2_link_22shapeimage_2_link_23shapeimage_2_link_24shapeimage_2_link_25