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==Plot== ==Plot==
⚫ The film opens with a ]n elder inspecting three babies. The first, an ugly, talking baby ogre ('']''), is abandoned to die for its deformity; while the second, who is Vietnamese, is adopted by ] and ]. The third, ], is accepted as a Spartan for his already-present muscular physique and prepared for kinghood through brutal training. An adult Leonidas (]) is cast out into the wild, survives the harsh winter, and hunts down a ] ] ('']''). Returning a king for his inauguration wearing a penguin skin hat, Leonidas sees ] (]) erotically dancing and asks her to marry him, to which she responds by giving him the combination to her ].
{{Plot|date=July 2015}}
⚫ The film opens with a ]n elder inspecting an ugly, talking baby ogre ('']''); it is abandoned to die for its deformity. A second baby, who is Vietnamese, is adopted by ] and ]. Baby ] is then inspected, having a six-pack, biceps and beard from birth. He is accepted as a Spartan and prepared for kinghood through his childhood training, from fighting his grandmother to enduring torture (a la '']''). Leonidas (]) is then cast out into the wild, and survives the harsh winter and hunts down a ] ] ('']''). Returning a king for his inauguration wearing a penguin skin hat, Leonidas sees ] (]) erotically dancing and asks her to marry him, to which she responds by giving him the combination to her ].


Years later, Leonidas is ] his son when Captain (]) informs him that a Persian messenger has arrived. Accompanied by the Spartan politician Traitoro, the messenger has come to present ]' demands for Sparta's submission. Leonidas arrives to greet the messenger in the Spartan way (high-fives for the women and open mouth tongue kisses for the men). After growing angry with both the messenger's disrespect and finding him making out with his wife, Leonidas kicks him into the ']'. Despite "Traitoro's" advice that the messenger's guards are now needed to convey the actual message, Leonidas kicks them in as well. Afterwards, he dumps in several other people he simply dislikes before having ] throw himself in. Resolving to face the ]ns, Leonidas visits the prophets, and gives them medicines such as ] as their prize for their consultation. They advise him that he should consult the ] for any advice. The Oracle, ], reveals that Leonidas will die should he go to war. After reaching a decision while spending the night with his wife, Leonidas meets the soldiers assembled for his departure to ], and finds that only 13 (not 300) were accepted in the army, since there were stringent specifications to be accepted—"Hunky with deep Mediterranean tans, hot bods, and well-endowed". Three among them include Captain, his son, Sonio, (who is accepted into the army via the approval of the '']'' judges) and a slightly unfit Spartan named Dilio, who, as the Captain states, "Has a lot of heart...and nice ]." Once at the Hot Gates, they encounter the deformed ] (also played by Parker), who tells Leonidas and the Captain about a secret goat path above the Hot Gates that Xerxes could use to outflank the Spartans. When she asks to be made a Spartan soldier, Leonidas rejects her as unqualified due to her inability to use a spear correctly. Leonidas and his platoon soon face off with Xerxes' messenger and his Immortals, beating them in a ] before driving them off a cliff. Xerxes (]), who, is described as, "sort of looked like that fat guy from '']''", impressed, personally approaches Leonidas and attempts to ] with a trip to the ]. The Spartan king declines, saying that he will instead make him fall. The Spartans then face the ]n army in a "]" fight. The Spartans end with a victory, in spite of Dilio having his eyes scratched out. Years later, Leonidas is ] his son when Captain (]) informs him that a Persian messenger has arrived. Accompanied by the Spartan politician Traitoro, the messenger presents ]' demands for Sparta's submission. After growing angry with both the messenger's disrespect and finding him making out with his wife, Leonidas kicks him into the "]". Despite Traitoro's advice that the messenger's guards are now needed to convey the actual message, Leonidas kicks them in as well, along with several other people he simply dislikes. Resolving to face the ]ns, Leonidas visits the prophets and gives them medicines such as ] as their prize for their consultation. They advise him that he should consult the ] for any advice. The Oracle, ], reveals that Leonidas will die should he go to war.


After reaching a decision while spending the night with his wife, Leonidas meets the soldiers assembled for his departure to ], and finds that only thirteen were accepted in the army due to stringent requirements. Among them are Captain, his son Sonio, and a slightly unfit Spartan named Dilio. Once at the Hot Gates, they encounter a deformed ] (also played by Parker), who tells Leonidas and the Captain about a secret goat path above the Hot Gates that Xerxes could use to outflank the Spartans. When she asks to be made a Spartan soldier, Leonidas rejects her as unqualified due to her inability to use a spear correctly. Leonidas and his platoon soon face off with Xerxes' messenger and his Immortals, beating them in a ] before driving them off a cliff. Xerxes (]), impressed, personally approaches Leonidas and attempts to ] with a trip to the ]. Leonidas declines, and the Spartans face the ]n army in a "]" fight, which the Spartans win, but Dilio has his eyes scratched out and wanders away.
⚫ Though victory seemed to be in the Spartans' grasp, ] betrays the Spartans and reveals the location of the goat path to Xerxes in return for various gifts and for having her deforming hump removed. Using a ] army (with the ] blatantly shown), Xerxes meets the twelve remaining Spartans and the war is on. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, Queen Margo has several confrontations with Traitoro, because he is the vital vote in sending more troops to assist her husband. Following her address to the Council, Traitoro publicly betrays the Queen. The Queen then "]" and Traitoro turns into sand. She defeats him in battle using a ]. Evidence is shown he is a traitor, uniting the council with the queen. At the ], the Persians introduce their secret weapons: ] and ], who kills Sonio with a decapitating uppercut before his father avenges him with Botox poisoning. But when Captain is struck down by Xerxes, Leonidas pursues Xerxes and plays ]. Managing to find the "]", Xerxes uses it in a car to become ] as he shows off his powers to access the "]" video on ]. However, Xerxestron accidentally trips on his extension cord, fulfilling Leonidas' vow that he would fall at the cost of himself and surviving Spartans being crushed, apparently killing them. The blind Dilio, who left prior to the final battle, eventually returns to Sparta to tell of Leonidas' final moments. A year later, Dilio leads a force of one hundred real Spartans and several thousand CGI-ones to defeat the Persians, but the blind warrior ends up going the wrong way. They end up in ] where they knock ] down as she is leaving ] (again).


Hilton decides to betray the Spartans and reveals the location of the goat path to Xerxes in return for various gifts and for having her deformed hump removed. Xerxes meets the twelve remaining Spartans and the war begins. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, Queen Margo has several confrontations with Traitoro, as he is the vital vote in sending more troops to assist her husband. Following her address to the Council, Traitoro publicly betrays the Queen. The Queen then battles Traitoro in a parody of '']'' and defeats him using a ]. With Traitoro's deceit exposed, the council is united with the queen.
The film ends with a musical number set to ]'s "]" performed on '']'' by all of the characters in the film.

⚫ At the ], the Persians introduce their secret weapons, ] and ], who kills Sonio with a decapitating uppercut. Captain avenges him with Botox poisoning before being struck down by Xerxes. Leonidas pursues Xerxes and plays '']''. Managing to find the "]", Xerxes uses it in a car to become ] and shows off his powers to access the "]" video on ]. However, Xerxestron accidentally trips on his extension cord and falls on Leonidas and the surviving Spartans, apparently killing them. The blind Dilio eventually returns to Sparta to tell of Leonidas' final moments. A year later, Dilio leads a larger Spartan force to defeat the Persians, but the blind warrior ends up going the wrong way. They end up in ], where they knock ] down as she is leaving ] again.


==Cast== ==Cast==

Revision as of 04:48, 25 July 2016

2008 American film
Meet the Spartans
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJason Friedberg
Aaron Seltzer
Written by
  • Jason Friedberg
  • Aaron Seltzer
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyShawn Maurer
Edited byPeck Prior
Music byChristopher Lennertz
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • January 25, 2008 (2008-01-25)
Running time83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million
Box office$84.6 million

Meet the Spartans is a 2008 American parody film directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Similar to past movies, such as Scary Movie, Date Movie, and Epic Movie, it directs parodies at various films. Although it references many films, TV shows, people and pop cultural events, it focuses mainly on the 2007 film 300. It opened #1 in the US box office, despite receiving overwhelmingly negative reviews. The film stars Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra and Kevin Sorbo as The Captain.

Plot

The film opens with a Spartan elder inspecting three babies. The first, an ugly, talking baby ogre (Shrek the Third), is abandoned to die for its deformity; while the second, who is Vietnamese, is adopted by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. The third, Leonidas, is accepted as a Spartan for his already-present muscular physique and prepared for kinghood through brutal training. An adult Leonidas (Sean Maguire) is cast out into the wild, survives the harsh winter, and hunts down a gangsta penguin (Happy Feet). Returning a king for his inauguration wearing a penguin skin hat, Leonidas sees Margo (Carmen Electra) erotically dancing and asks her to marry him, to which she responds by giving him the combination to her chastity belt.

Years later, Leonidas is training his son when Captain (Kevin Sorbo) informs him that a Persian messenger has arrived. Accompanied by the Spartan politician Traitoro, the messenger presents Xerxes' demands for Sparta's submission. After growing angry with both the messenger's disrespect and finding him making out with his wife, Leonidas kicks him into the "pit of death". Despite Traitoro's advice that the messenger's guards are now needed to convey the actual message, Leonidas kicks them in as well, along with several other people he simply dislikes. Resolving to face the Persians, Leonidas visits the prophets and gives them medicines such as Neutrogena as their prize for their consultation. They advise him that he should consult the Oracle for any advice. The Oracle, Ugly Betty, reveals that Leonidas will die should he go to war.

After reaching a decision while spending the night with his wife, Leonidas meets the soldiers assembled for his departure to Thermopylae, and finds that only thirteen were accepted in the army due to stringent requirements. Among them are Captain, his son Sonio, and a slightly unfit Spartan named Dilio. Once at the Hot Gates, they encounter a deformed Paris Hilton (also played by Parker), who tells Leonidas and the Captain about a secret goat path above the Hot Gates that Xerxes could use to outflank the Spartans. When she asks to be made a Spartan soldier, Leonidas rejects her as unqualified due to her inability to use a spear correctly. Leonidas and his platoon soon face off with Xerxes' messenger and his Immortals, beating them in a dance contest before driving them off a cliff. Xerxes (Ken Davitian), impressed, personally approaches Leonidas and attempts to bribe him with a trip to the Palms Hotel and Casino. Leonidas declines, and the Spartans face the Persian army in a "Yo Momma" fight, which the Spartans win, but Dilio has his eyes scratched out and wanders away.

Hilton decides to betray the Spartans and reveals the location of the goat path to Xerxes in return for various gifts and for having her deformed hump removed. Xerxes meets the twelve remaining Spartans and the war begins. Meanwhile, back in Sparta, Queen Margo has several confrontations with Traitoro, as he is the vital vote in sending more troops to assist her husband. Following her address to the Council, Traitoro publicly betrays the Queen. The Queen then battles Traitoro in a parody of Spider Man 3 and defeats him using a dust buster. With Traitoro's deceit exposed, the council is united with the queen.

At the Battle of Thermopylae, the Persians introduce their secret weapons, Ghost Rider and Rocky Balboa, who kills Sonio with a decapitating uppercut. Captain avenges him with Botox poisoning before being struck down by Xerxes. Leonidas pursues Xerxes and plays Grand Theft Auto. Managing to find the "Transformer Cube", Xerxes uses it in a car to become Xerxestron and shows off his powers to access the "Leave Britney Alone!" video on YouTube. However, Xerxestron accidentally trips on his extension cord and falls on Leonidas and the surviving Spartans, apparently killing them. The blind Dilio eventually returns to Sparta to tell of Leonidas' final moments. A year later, Dilio leads a larger Spartan force to defeat the Persians, but the blind warrior ends up going the wrong way. They end up in Malibu, where they knock Lindsay Lohan down as she is leaving rehab again.

Cast

Release

Box office

Meet the Spartans opened at number one at the US box office, grossing $18,505,530 over its opening weekend, narrowly edging out fellow newcomer Rambo, which was briefly parodied in the credits of this film. The film dropped 60.4% in its second weekend grossing $7,336,595 expanding to 2643 theaters while ranking fourth at the box office. The film grossed $38,233,676 in United States and Canada and grossed $45,787,889 Internationally, adding up to a Worldwide gross of $84,021,565.

Critical reception

The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes ranked the film 25th in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of a mere 2%. Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 9 out of 100, based on 11 reviews — indicating "overwhelming dislike" and being the worst received film by the director on the site.

One reviewer in Scotland's The Sunday Herald gave the film a score of zero, as did Ireland's Day and Night while an Australian newspaper review described it as being "as funny as a burning orphanage". The Radio Times said "After enduring the torturously unfunny Date Movie and Epic Movie, one could be forgiven for concluding that the art of cinematic parody was in terminal decline. This latest installment in Friedberg and Seltzer's franchise hammers a final nail into the coffin with an utterly atrocious collection of imbecilic skits... it's junk-food cinema at its worst. One cringes to think what future cultural historians will make of it… and us." In London, The Times reviewer Wendy Ide suggested that the producers of the film were not aiming for 'laughs' but "a simian grunt of recognition from an audience that must have been practically brain-dead to fork out £10 to see a film that can’t even master the concept of out-takes?"

Most of the film's criticism consisted of not having many actual jokes and instead having an over-reliance on pop culture references. Several recurring gags were criticized for being overused, such as throwing various celebrities down the Pit of Death or the ambiguous sexuality of the Spartans.

The film's score by Christopher Lennertz was commended by Christian Clemmensen from Filmtracks.com, who considered it one of the biggest "guilty pleasures" of 2008.

On January 21, 2009, the film received five nominations for the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards: Worst Picture (jointly with Disaster Movie), Worst Supporting Actress (Electra), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel.

Home media

The film was released on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on June 3, 2008, in an "Unrated Pit of Death" Edition and a PG-13/theatrical release of the film. The theatrical cut does not include extras but includes widescreen and full screen versions on one dual disc. A "ruder & cruder" version was later released in the UK on August 18.

See also

References

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (February 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
  1. "MEET THE SPARTANS (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 11, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  2. ^ Meet the Spartans at Box Office Mojo
  3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1073498/releaseinfo#akas
  4. "US Movie Box Office Chart Weekend of January 25, 2008". The Numbers. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "Meet the Spartans - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
  6. "Meet the Spartans (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
  7. "Meet the Spartans (2008): Reviews". Radio Times. Retrieved December 13, 2009.
  8. "Meet the Spartans - Bottom Line: "300" was funnier". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2008. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. John Wilson (January 21, 2009). "RAZZIES.COM 2008 Nominations". Razzie Awards. Retrieved January 21, 2009.

External links

Films by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
Written and directed
Written only
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