Meet the Spartans (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

( Max score: 100 )

92

Film Synopsis:

History has never been so... hysterical! Prepare to fight for honor fight for glory and fight back tears of laughter watching this gut-busting spoof comedy that skewers pop culture's biggest icons.In Meet the Spartans the heroic Leonidas armed with nothing but leather underwear and a cape leads a ragtag group of 13 - count'em 13! - warriors to defend their homeland against the invading Persians whose ranks include Ghost Rider Rocky Balboa the Transformers and a hunchbacked Paris Hilton.You won't find a funnier Greek war film even if you live to see 300!

My Take:

I generally take films that are Parody’s of other films on a case by case basis. I have found some to be genuinely funny while others swing too hard and miss. Meet the Spartans strikes a very nice balance between the two by swinging and making contact (in this case with your funny bone) but not quite driving it out of the park. OK enough baseball analogies. The bottom line is that I liked Meet the Spartans. It does a nice job of spoofing on 300 and does so by selecting some of the film’s key sequences and putting just the right spin on them. It also takes the opportunity to goof on several feature films (Rocky Balboa, Transformers, Ghost Rider to name a few) as well as some of today’s popular reality TV shows and celebrities who have recently been making negative headlines. Some of the humor is graphic and not always in the best taste but if taken in the spirit it is intended its entertaining. Sean Maguire does surprisingly well in his impersonation of Gerard Butler in the role of Spartan King Leonidas. I think that Carmen Electra has lost a bit of her sex appeal but finding parts like this is a positive for her career. Phil Morris portrays the messenger of Xerxes who ultimately ends up as the first to be kicked into the pit of death is priceless. He has shown up in quite a few movies of this type and never disappoints. There are some really great choreographed dance and musical bits that showcase some pretty good talent.

Parental Guide:

This is an unrated release which contains scenes of crude and sexual content, nudity, language and comic violence. This is not one for younger viewers.

Audio: 88

• 
  
• Dynamics:
• 
  
• Low frequency extension:
• 
  
• Surround Sound presentation:
• 
  
• Clarity/Detail:
• 
  
• Dialogue Reproduction:
  

Video: 96

• 
  
• Resolution/Clarity:
• 
  
• Black level/Shadow detail:
• 
  
• Color reproduction:
• 
  
• Fleshtones:
• 
  
• Compression:

Meet the Spartans comes to Blu-ray Disc from Fox featuring 1080p MPEG-4 (AVC) encoded video with an average bitrate of 23 mbps and DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio lossless sound with an average bitrate of 3.9 mbps.

This is a reference quality video presentation that is sure to please even the discerning videophile. Detail was first rate from every perspective as images were richly satisfying with a feeling of almost infinite resolve. Fine detail was visible in every aspect which ranged from close ups of the cast to both near field and distant pans of objects within the frame. Color reproduction was as good as I have seen it. Colors were bold with vivid saturation when called for and natural with subtle refinement when appropriate. Fleshtones looked stunning with just the slightest hint of sepia tone which made everyone appear as though they had just come from the beach on a sunny day. Based upon the nature of the film this was probably intentional to poke fun at the characters in 300 but I felt it should be mentioned just the same. Contrast and Black levels appeared spot on and achieved a solid balance which gave scenes with light and dark elements plenty of punch and vibrancy.

The high resolution DTS-HD Master Audio sound mix was a hair shy of reference quality. Deep bass extension, crisp and articulated dialogue, and crystal clarity highlight a well executed surround sound presentation that sounded superb on my 7.2 channel system. Thus far I have been extremely pleased with the dynamic potential present in the Master Audio Lossless soundtracks I have heard. I bitstream the signal from my Blu-ray player for external decoding in my Denon 5308CI receiver. The results are excellent.

Bonus Features:

This is a fun bonus set that stays very much in the spirit of the film. There are a couple of interactive games that are interesting and the gag reel is a hoot. If the film is your cup of tea then you will undoubtedly enjoy the various features that are contained here. Almost all are offered in high definition which is a plus.

• 
  
• Commentary by cast and crew
• 
  
• Know your Spartans pop culture trivia game
• 
  
• Gag reel
• 
  
• (HD)Meet the Spartans the music
• 
  
• (HD)Prepare for thrusting
• 
  
• (HD)Tour the set with Ike Barinholtz
• 
  
• (HD)Celebrity kickoff game
• 
  
• (HD)Super Pit-of-Death Ultimate tactical battle challenge
• 
  
• Trivial Track
• 
  
• Two theatrical trailers

Final Thoughts:

Meet the Spartans is an above average parody that does have its moments. I found it entertaining and clever although just a bit over the top at times. Fox has brought it to Blu-ray disc in a tidy package that features pristine video and excellent audio quality along with an appealing set of bonus supplements that fans will appreciate. Those who have been waiting for this one can buy with confidence.