Naturally, like all good Hollywood deals, after the success comes milking it dry, and after the success of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s TV show “South Park,” a movie was obviously in the works. The show continued after the movie’s release and was recently renewed for more with a multi-million dollar Paramount deal, but surprisingly, even if you haven’t seen “South Park” the show before, the film is a great place to start!
As the iconic perpetually fourth grade protagonists, Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh (both voiced by Parker), Kyle Broflovski, and Kenny McCormick (both voiced by Stone) sneak into an R-rated movie, an impossibly large chain of events ensue, including politics, war, Satan’s relationship with Saddam Hussein (who was in real life forced to watch the movie repeatedly while his capture by US Marines prior to his 2006 execution), and about as many curse words as the dictionary could legally hold. Even so, the plot is completely separate from the show, and any important characters are reintroduced to add context. Although, if you are new to the “South Park” franchise, you’re in for a seriously surprising ride.
In a school setting, it’s hard to talk about 90 percent of this movie, and although it’s animated, visual graphics are never what made “South Park” so adult. While this does give the film the freedom to do as it pleases, it also makes you feel like you need to watch it with the blinds drawn. Either way, the film’s comedy is strong enough to be worth hearing from just about every character’s “potty mouth.”
Surprisingly, the film puts those voices to good use, as the movie is an unexpected film for its genre, a musical. With oddly good lyrics, Satan sings romantic dramedy style tunes, the canadian comedy duo Terrance (voiced by Stone) and Phillip ( voiced by Parker) sing about uncles, and Big Gay Al (voiced by Parker) sings to rally US troops against Canada. At first it seems so unlikely the film will go through with the musical idea that it feels as if it’s just a quick gag, but by the seventh song, it starts to sink in how much work was put into its production.
Even so, the animation is subpar at times. Yes, it’s a nice aesthetic, but when mixed with the vulgarity of the show, it can make some scenes feel repetitive. Scenes with lots of nudity and the poor animation style (poor, as in it looks like a 23 dollar budget), can feel like a drag at times, because it feels like the same joke over and over.
Although awkward to watch with friends, “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” is one of the best animated films of the 20th century. I would rate the film a 4.2📼 out of 5.0📼, and suggest it to anybody wanting to lose their voice from laughing, willing to watch it alone, and wishing to be thoroughly entertained.
