South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut 4K UHD Review: Still Funny but Aging Rapidly

South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut, directed by Trey Parker, and written by Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady, is an animated feature for adult audiences based off the TV series South Park created by Parker and Stone. In it, the four main characters, Stan Marsh (Trey Parker), Kyle Broflovski (Matt Stone), Eric Cartman (Parker), and Kenny McCormick (Stone) plan to sneak into a Canadian R-rated movie starring Canadian superstars, Terrance (Stone) and Phillip (Parker).

Buy South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut 4K UHD

The boys are able to sneak into the movie with the aid of a homeless drunk. Unfortunately, everything the boys see on the screen they bring home with them: vulgar jokes, vulgar word play, and lots of passed gas. Naturally, their parents and the adults in town are upset with the raucous behavior of the children. The mothers create Mothers Against Canada and take Terrance and Phillip prisoner with the expectation of executing them at the end of a U.S.O. show. On a dare, Kenny lights one of his farts on fire, burns himself to death, and is sent to Hell after being denied access to Heaven.

In Hell, Kenny discovers that Satan and Saddam Hussein are lovers, that Saddam is abusive, and that when Terrance and Phillip are killed, it will signal the beginning of the end times and Satan will be free to rule the Earth. In the meanwhile, Canada bombs the Baldwin brothers (Alec, etc.) in retaliation for taking Terrance and Phillip, the U.S. declares war on Canada, and Cartman is implanted with a V-chip that electrocutes him every time he tries to use a curse word, which is often.

In other words, the plot is quite funny. However, the movie tries very hard to be topical to the time in which it was created. This leads to jokes that have simply lost their edge. Consider the song “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” It is catchy, but every reference and joke requires a little work if you are old enough to remember the first years in which South Park was being created. If, on the other hand, you have never heard of Brian Boitano, the song is likely to be a complete dud. It is not just the humor that has changed: the artistic style, voice acting, and characterizations have all grown tenfold since those early years. Even the commentary on the Blu-ray is from back in 2009, and, while often insightful, is also out-of-date. 

Bonus Features (on the Blu-ray):

  • Commentary by Matt Stone and Trey Parker from 2009
  • Sing-a-Long Version
  • “What Would Brian Boitano Do?”: Music Video
  • Teaser Trailer
  • Theatrical Trailer #1
  • Theatrical Trailer #2

The packaging contains both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs, and a digital movie code. Keep in mind that the so-called Sing-a-Long version is always on when watching the Blu-ray and cannot be turned off.

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Greg Hammond

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