Team America: World Police (2004) Reviews

• Team America Checklist

  stargunner2004-10-25

  The one thing I noticed while attempting to breathe during this movie was that people were walking out in between bursts of hysterical laughter. Unfortunately, this movie is not for everyone. I wish it didn't offend some but it does. So, if you want to know whether you will enjoy this film or not, you must answer "yes" to the following: 1. I am not offended by the "F" word. Being repeated 300 times. 2. I am not offended by intense marionette sex. 3. I am not offended by racial satire. 4. I am not offended by ridiculous political satire. 5. I am not a member of the Film Actor's Guild. If you're like me and have answered "yes" to the above five questions, go see this film. You will laugh so hard it will hurt and you will giggle about it for the next week thereafter. I have to say that I am very desensitized when it comes these kinds of films, and I'd say that Team America has raised the bar in derogatory humor. But that only made it more hilarious. I give it 5 stars, two thumbs up, 10 out of 10; it was flawless. But... On the other hand, if you're not like me, you might find yourself walking out by the third time you hear the song, "America, F*** Yeah!"

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• Wonderfully poignant satire at a much needed time

  shootfromthehip2004-10-10

  No Spoilers. First off, I'd like to say that this film is everything a South Park/Trey Parker devotee could hope for. It's sly, it's vulgar, it's full of gore/profanity/violence/nudity, and it is made entirely with marionettes. The sheer amount of wit and subversive humor packed into this film is mind boggling, but yet it doesn't bog you down with vague references and really confusing in-jokes. And goddamn, puppets swearing/having sex/killing people/dancing never gets old. NEVER. The film is actually almost 2 hours long, but as expected, is one which time takes on less relevance. Of course, some people are going to see just how limited Trey Parkers voice talents are, but having 4 different minor character sound exactly the same is always a surefire treat. Take note that a grand total of zero big name actors lend their voice to this film, though Little B**ch(Dian Bachar) does give a little appearance here and there. The whole film is real. You heard me. Absolutely nothing in this movie (with the exception of the title credits and I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.) was done with computers. While this may sound impressive on paper, on film it's actually a masterful achievement. While Parker sometimes plays into the film's self-conscious aura and indulges the audience a bit, most scenes are played out to their full puppet potential. I'm sure this film will be a benchmark in the world of puppeteering for years to come, despite it's content. All in all, it was exactly what I expected (and I have high standards for Parker) and I could not have been happier with the result. A second viewing will be needed, just to take in all the detail of the film, as the sets are lush, elaborate and breathtaking scale models of cities all over the world. For those who want to bother comparing it to Parkers earlier forays, yes, it is better than Cannibal! and Orgazmo, but does not quite stand up to SP:BLU, but only because BLU had the background and the familiarity factor. After a second viewing, this opinion could very likely change. In other words, if you like this sort of stuff, you'll love it. If you are iffy on Parker/South Park/libertarian humor, then you will most likely hate it. But what else is new.

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• Funny!

  the_insainiak2004-12-12

  As much as I hate to admit it, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are actually quite talented in a sick twisted, strange, little way. After laughing my butt off during South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut, I couldn't wait to see this movie. I was not disappointed. This could be by far the funniest film this year. The plot is easy to follow, as it borrows from most action flicks you see these days, but the way in which it is made is incredible. The fact that these are puppets is enough to make you laugh throughout the entire film. The jokes are funny and don't fall flat. As I was watching the opening, I thought it might run out of steam as it went on. My ticket said it went for almost 2 hours, and I wondered how it would sustain the entire time. It flew. The film is a guilty pleasure. And parents, before you take your kids to see this, then complain it was disgusting, please read the R Rating! Sit back, relax and watch, but not with coke in your mouth. It will get spit everywhere.

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• Well Worthwhile, But Not For The Squeamish

  CTS-12005-01-02

  Fans of Parker and Stone's prior efforts will both love this, and know what to expect from this. Politically, no group is left unsatirized: from the idiotic faux-country patriotic music, to know-it-all leftie actors being portrayed as goon puppets (the more self-important members of the Tim Robbins and Sean Penn fan clubs may want to skip this), no group escapes without being ridiculed. Of course, what one would expect besides savage social commentary is gross-out humor, and that is present in droves. This has the best puppet vomiting scene since "Meet The Feebles." In addition, there is: puppet "marital relations," puppets being blown up, puppets being fed to cats, puppets being fed to sharks... All the puppets are done in the style of "Thunderbirds" (the old TV show, not the dismal failure of a live-action movie). And the songs are hilarious too! "'Pearl Harbor' sucks and I miss you" is one of the funniest songs you will ever hear.

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• Puppet Politics

  dee.reid2004-10-16

  "Team America: World Police" is a great sendoff to one of the most turbulent times in American history, and "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, both equal opportunity offenders, pull no strings (no pun intended) with this hilarious and blazingly satiric model of the United States and its supposed role in world affairs. But again, what better way is there to remember the tumultuous reign of the U.S. and its War on Terror than to make a movie that satirizes the living hell out of both? Like their previous effort "South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut," they take chances that no other filmmaker in America is ever willing to take, and that is to be as crude and vulgar as humanly possible for 90 minutes straight. Anyone expecting an anti-Bush treatise like "Fahrenheit 9/11" or a pro-Kerry ad campaign will be sorely mistaken. It's really best that liberals and conservatives both stay as far away from this movie as possible, as they both get their fair share of bashing. Parker and Stone have even said that anyone who thinks it should be used to sway votes is a "f**king idiot." America itself seems to be at the top of their hit list, or at least American bravado is. As a casual fan of "South Park," I understand that Trey Parker and Matt Stone go to the extreme in making fun of American culture and lampooning people they don't like. Already they've gotten "fan" mail from Sean Penn, who is understandably upset over his portrayal in the film, as well as several other liberal celebrities who are portrayed as being backstabbing morons. But I'm not really here to argue political bias in this film (George W. Bush has got to go come November 2nd, in case anyone wants to know), and the perfect satire has come to fuel the fire of the most important election in United States history. "Team America: World Police" is hugely inspired by the "Thunderbirds" marionette cartoons that aired during the 1960s, and it shows us a TEAM of Americans that POLICE the WORLD. North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il has weapons of mass destruction and has implemented plans to use them. So Team America goes to work to foil his evil plans. In doing so, they lay waste to several world landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Sphinx, and the Egyptian pyramids. "America" parades through virtually every action movie cliché imaginable, most notably from the films of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose "Pearl Harbor" (2001) gets lampooned the worst; they even hit "Top Gun" (1986). There is no question that "Team America: World Police" is inspired and imaginative film-making, made by two creative geniuses who LOVE to push the envelope anywhere they can. Liberal Hollywood celebrities get some of the worst bashing here, with political gadfly Michael Moore playing the part of a hot dog-munching suicide bomber and Alec Baldwin as the leader of the Film Actors Guild (F.A.G., get it?). But conservatives aren't off the hook either, as their politics of U.S. intervention in every world affair is taken to ridiculous heights, hence the title "World Police." "Team America: World Police" is a brilliant satire of our times, of course that doesn't make it safe from the detractors who claim that Parker and Stone are irresponsible morons. Indeed, there are smarter ways to approach such sensitive material, but Parker and Stone aren't intellectuals who are out to change the world, they're just two guys who like to fool around and make people laugh. "Team America: World Police" - 10/10

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