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- Verified Buyer
From the folks who brought you Meet the Spartans, Vampires Suck, Epic Movie, etc., now comes The Starving Games - a deliciously humorous spoof of The Hunger Games (and a few other recent films) that can actually stand on its own merits. The casting is impeccable and spot on. Indeed - the female lead claims to have actually gone to the tryouts for the original Hunger Games only to find out that the role had already gone to Jennifer Lawrence. In her own words, "things had now come full circle since this is the part she played in The Starving Games". From the casting to the costumes, names, makeup, and settings, one might think you were watching the real thing. After watching The Hunger Games for the second time on TV only a few days earlier, I couldn't stop laughing. The Starving Games may be a parody but it is also a positive nod to THG.From the very beginning, when "Kantmiss" volunteers to take her sister's place in the games, to her arrival in the Capital, her way of hiding from or dispatching her opponents, her budding romance with Peter Marlarkey (how appropriate the name alteration) played by the adorable Cody Christian of Pretty Little Liars fame, the laughs and action proceed at a rapid pace. When the two take refuge in a cave, fall asleep side by side, only to wake up surrounded by a sexually letching Hobbit and his leader, is truly an hysterical moment. Or when "Kantmiss" is told to cut down a hive of bugs on top of her enemies sleeping soundly on the ground below and her aim is not quite accurate; or when the exotic design of the Games master's beard keeps changing and even incorporates a Starbucks logo; or when Kantmiss's home boyfriend (played by the quite handsome Brant Daughtery also from PLL) gets so jealous that he physically invades the soundstage where The Starving Games is being filmed; and on and on. Even The Avengers takes a hit. The ubiquitous Samuel L. Jackson who (along with Liam Neeson) seems to appear in every other movie (and even alludes to that apparent observation) comes across as a cursing latrine sergeant especially when he turns his thunder on Hawkeye who resents the possibility that Kantmiss might replace him among the Avengers. The Expendables (played by some of the best look-alikes Hollywood has to offer) doesn't escape either.The joy and fun of The Starving Games is the fact that it can make you laugh without being disrespectul or nasty. It does what many of us might think or like to say but can't - as in the fiery dress of Kantmiss that nearly burns her to a crisp but does nothing but wow the crowd in THG. I highly recommend this film to anyone who needs a good laugh and will get plenty without having to get a headache from a noisy action film soundtrack or trying to figure out the nonsense of the latest sci-fy movie. Enjoy it even more with your favorite beverage. One caveat: It is rated as a PG-13 movie but is much closer to an R.
