(UNRATED)
 -- UNRATED Special Collector's Edition -- Team America, a global police force whose mission is to save the world at any cost, sets out to stop an evil dictator who's selling weapons of mass destruction. Cast Notes: Trey Parker (Gary Johnston/Joe/Hans Blix/Kim Jong Il/Carson/Drunk/Tim Robbins/Sean Penn/Michael Moore/Helen Hunt/Matt Damon/Susan Sarandon/Others [voice]), Matt Stone (Chris/George Clooney/Danny Glover/Ethan Hawke/Matt Damon/Others [voice]), Kristen Miller (Lisa [voice]), Masasa (Sarah [voice]), Daran Norris (Spottswoode [voice]), Phil Hendrie (Intelligence [voice]), Maurice LaMarche (Alec Baldwin [voice]), Chelsea Magritte (French Mother [voice]), Jeremy Shada (Jean Francois [voice]), Fred Tatasciore (Samuel L. Jackson [voice]), Dian Bachar ([voice]), John D. Kim (Guard/Korean Pilot/Others [voice]), Josiah D. Lee (International Counter Intelligence Officer [voice]), David Michie (French florist [voice]), Elle Russ (Voice over [voice]), Stanley G. Sawicki ([voice]). User Comment: shootfromthehip (hate_mayle@hotmail.com) from Calgary, Alberta, 10 October 2004 • 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. Summary: Wonderfully poignant satire at a much needed time. User Comment: dee.reid from United States, 16 October 2004 • "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 Summary: Puppet Politics. IMDb Rating (10/10/05): (10/10/05): 7.2/10 from 12,986 users
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