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Team America: World Police
Pinocchios On Patrol.

Voices: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Kristen Miller, Masasa, Daran Norris, Maurice LaMarche, Phil Hendrie, Josiah D. Lee, Paul Louis, David Michie, Elle Russ
Directors: Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Screenwriters: Trey Parker, Matt Stone

Reviewed by Chris Ching

Shut YOUR f**kin' face, Trey Parker & Matt Stone!

Fans of South Park: The Movie - a section of the populace I proudly declare myself a member - will catch the reference, and hopefully won't be too angered by my less than positive review of the duo's latest creation - the all puppet, all the time, Team America.

Gary proves himself to Spottswoode.

Don't get me wrong, I laughed my ass off, but it simply is not as good a film as SPTM. The 1999 big screen version of the Comedy Central hit managed to be hilarious, disgusting, and remarkably incisive all at the same time - a scathing critique of hypocrisy masquerading as dick and fart jokes.

"Stop comparing it to SPTM!" you might say, but Parker and Stone invite comparisons themselves by rehashing much of the SPTM comedy/musical formula.The story itself doesn't stretch too far away from what they did in SPTM with anti-terrorist commando squad Team America substituting for Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny. Again, the villain is a real life dictator in the form of Korea's Kim Jong Il instead of Saddam Hussein. Both movies even end the same way at a large rally.

The puppet stars of Team America actually emote better than some real actors - clearly a fact Parker and Stone had in mind from the beginning. The puppet work is so convincing, you'll actually forget their puppets. Also, the art direction is as richly detailed as any of the miniatures utilized in the The Lord of The Rings trilogy.

The trademark witty (and shitty) Parker/ Stone dialogue is still there, but there's an over reliance (even for these guys) on profanity to get them through a scene. It's almost as if they were stumped for a few punch lines, threw in a few "f**ks" or "asses", and called it a day. Their portrayal of celebrities also come off as mean spirited instead of pithy.

I especially had issues about the depiction of Kim Jong Il. In SPTM, Saddam Hussein's ethnicity was never a target of ridicule, rather it was the pomposity of any tyrant Parker and Stone took aim at. In Team America, almost ALL the jokes about the Korean dictator are based on typical asian stereotypes: poorly pronounced English, lust for white women etc. Not too cool dudes.

The hook of Team America - the puppets - is a cool idea, but a cool idea doesn't make a whole movie. Parker and Stone are so enamored with their hook, they forgot to go the distance and build a solid stage for their movie to perform on. In their parlance, Team America is like a fart in a classroom. Funny, but with a lingering bad smell.

Rating:

(2 out of 4 stars)

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