The Starving Games Review – IGN

When it comes to directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer — the guys behind feature “gems” like Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie and Vampires Suck — you probably already know what you’re getting into with their latest flick The Starving Games. Honestly, it’s a wonder these two guys are still making anything at all, let alone another spoof movie — and yet here they are with a sendup of the 2012 blockbuster The Hunger Games.

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It kind of goes without saying that the writing and direction here are abysmal, with the only bit of coherency coming from the viewer’s prior knowledge of The Hunger Games. But even if you are well-versed in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian universe — or rather, especially if you are, there’s next to nothing to enjoy in The Starving Games. Unless you like your parodies with a heaping helping of fart jokes and nonsensical sight gags, this is a definite pass.

That’s not to say dumb humor can’t be fun, but even The Starving Games’ best moment are cutting-room-floor fodder for even the most average of screwball comedies. Along with the typical slew of slapstick, the pic includes sporadic and unnecessary references to movies like James Cameron’s Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, The Hobbit and The Avengers. That’s not to mention other facepalm-inducing nods to the likes of Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Double Rainbow and Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” The thing is, these bits aren’t satirizing the source material, they’re merely pointing at it and saying, “Hey, remember this?”

It’s also worth noting that because the movie is only PG-13, none of the jokes are able to go too far either. As a result, the dialogue is littered with too many “s***s” and not enough “f***s.” [Note: The irony of censoring my own curse words is not lost on me.]

Credit where credit is due, there are a couple of things (and I mean that literally) that aren’t absolutely heinous in The Starving Games. The first is Diedrich Bader, bless him, who despite the godawful material he’s given, still commits to his every line. Likewise, star Maiara Walsh has brief glimpses of talent, but they’re usually spoiled a few seconds later by whatever cheap trick the movie has her doing next (squatting in the middle of the woods to poop, for example).

Suffice to say, The Starving Games is a horrible, horrible piece of cinema that needn’t be watched by any person ever. In fact, almost anything else coming out this weekend is probably better than this. (I hear Thor: The Dark World’s pretty good.) Hell, take the time you would have spent watching this and just pop in your DVD of The Hunger Games again — it still holds up. Just, please, do yourself a favor and don’t pay to see The Starving Games.

It kind of goes without saying that the writing and direction here are abysmal, with the only bit of coherency coming from the viewer’s prior knowledge of The Hunger Games. But even if you are well-versed in Suzanne Collins’ dystopian universe — or rather, especially if you are, there’s next to nothing to enjoy in The Starving Games. Unless you like your parodies with a heaping helping of fart jokes and nonsensical sight gags, this is a definite pass.That’s not to say dumb humor can’t be fun, but even The Starving Games’ best moment are cutting-room-floor fodder for even the most average of screwball comedies. Along with the typical slew of slapstick, the pic includes sporadic and unnecessary references to movies like James Cameron’s Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, The Hobbit and The Avengers. That’s not to mention other facepalm-inducing nods to the likes of Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Double Rainbow and Psy’s “Gangnam Style.” The thing is, these bits aren’t satirizing the source material, they’re merely pointing at it and saying, “Hey, remember this?”It’s also worth noting that because the movie is only PG-13, none of the jokes are able to go too far either. As a result, the dialogue is littered with too many “s***s” and not enough “f***s.” [Note: The irony of censoring my own curse words is not lost on me.]Credit where credit is due, there are a couple of things (and I mean that literally) that aren’t absolutely heinous in The Starving Games. The first is Diedrich Bader, bless him, who despite the godawful material he’s given, still commits to his every line. Likewise, star Maiara Walsh has brief glimpses of talent, but they’re usually spoiled a few seconds later by whatever cheap trick the movie has her doing next (squatting in the middle of the woods to poop, for example).Suffice to say, The Starving Games is a horrible, horrible piece of cinema that needn’t be watched by any person ever. In fact, almost anything else coming out this weekend is probably better than this. (I hear Thor: The Dark World’s pretty good.) Hell, take the time you would have spent watching this and just pop in your DVD of The Hunger Games again — it still holds up. Just, please, do yourself a favor and don’t pay to see The Starving Games.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love by following @Max_Nicholson on Twitter, or MaxNicholson on IGN.