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Director: Trey Parker
Release date: June 30, 1999
Rating: ★★★★★ ♕
Review:
The South Park television series was only midway in its third season when its first (and only!) theatrical feature film was released. Thus, the film contains many of the quirks so typical of the earliest seasons but long since forgotten, like Kenny’s obligatory death, Kyle performing the act of ‘kick the baby’ with his little brother Ike or Stan compulsory vomiting on meeting Wendy.
Also prominent are characters that years ago have disappeared from the sitcom like Chef and Mr. Hat. Moreover, Cartman’s personality as a complete and pretty evil ass is not yet defined here, and although he’s already a jerk, he’s just one of the gang here.
The animation, too, retains much more of its cut-out origins than later seasons, although in the feature film the all too primitive animation is juxtaposed to a swirling 3D computer animation, especially in the hell scenes, which gives the film extra grandeur, but which would become more of a style element in later seasons of the series.
The South Park series always was at its best in social commentary, and it that respect, ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ delivers big time. The film painfully clearly shows America’s obsession to prevent their children to experience anything subversive, except gun violence (incidentally by now the major death cause of American youth). It’s best not to reveal the plot, but it’s enough to know that when the kids go see the new Philip and Terrance movie ‘Asses on Fire’, things quickly go out of hand.
The film also introduces the idea that Terrance and Philip are Canadian, and that all Canadians have disjointed heads and square hands, so the difference between the designs of the main characters and that of their favorite television show turns out not be one of style, but one of ‘nature’. This ridiculous idea is played out well, and was continued in the television series, too.
Kenny dies, of course, but for the first time we see what happens to him after his death, and quite a bit of the action takes place in hell, where Satan and Saddam Hussein get involved in the plot. Now, the Iraqi dictator was very much alive back then, and the film is a testimony of the US’ frustration they didn’t remove the villain from the office in the first Gulf War (1990-1991).
Because of Hussein Iraq was included in George Bush jr.’s nonsensical ‘Axis of evil’ (together with its arch enemy Iran), which ultimately lead to the misguided and very questionable invasion of Iraq in 2003. In ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ Saddam Hussein is shown as being even more evil than Satan himself, dominating the prince of darkness in a toxic relationship. Of course, the inclusion of Saddam Hussein ages the film more than necessary, as do other references to real people, like Brian Boitano (whom I as a non-American had never heard of).
Yet, the biggest surprise of ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ is not its high level of satire, nor its excellent plot, nor the introduction of elements that would become more familiar later on in the series. No, the biggest surprise of the film is that it is in fact, a musical, and a very good one at that, too. The film literally bursts with songs (there are fourteen of them), all ranging from good to excellent.
It seems Trey Parker knew exactly how to write a musical song: yes, practically all his songs are parodies of musical tropes, but his own creatures have such beautiful and memorable melodies they perfectly stand on their own. Absolutely top are ‘What would Brian Boitano do?’ and Satan’s Jesus Christ Superstar-like ‘Up there’. And then there’s a great musical moment when the Les misérables-like song ‘La résistance’ suddenly gets intermixed by four other songs, including a new one sung by soldiers, and the outstanding ‘Blame Canada’. This latter song, which was introduced much earlier in the film, is the undisputed highlight of the feature and was nominated for an academy award for best original song (which it unjustly lost to the bland ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’ Phil Collins composed for Disney’s ‘Tarzan’).
In fact, ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ is so good at being a musical that it can easily be counted among the best animated musicals ever. Main composer Trey Parker, at least got on a new career as a musical writer. No, there were no other South Park movies to come, but not only did more and more songs creep into the South Park series itself, but Parker made another musical with the bizarre puppet movie ‘Team America: World Police’ (2004) and even hit Broadway with the stage musical ‘The Book of Mormon’ (2011).
In all, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ is great satire, it’s a great musical, and it’s a great proof that feature films based on television series could (and should) be an improvement on the original series.
Watch the trailer for ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ is available on Blu-Ray and DVD
Directors: Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda
Release date: June 14, 2017
Rating: ★★★
Review:
The third installment of the Despicable Me franchise (not counting the spin-off ‘Minions‘ from 2015) is also the weakest of the trio. Like the other two the film is a fun ride, full of humor and action, but this time the film makers simply wanted to tell too much in one film. There are no less than six plot lines in this film divided over different main characters.
The first, and most enjoyable one considers Gru and his apparent arch nemesis Evil Bratt, a former child-actor from the 1980s gone bad. Evil Bratt, excellently voiced by Trey Parker of South Park fame, is a delightful villain, and the film makers indulge in 1980s tropes to make this character. For example, Evil Bratt sports a mustache and a mullet, and his weapons are based e.g., on bubblegum, Rubik’s cube, and a keytar. Moreover, whenever he appears, he’s accompanied by a 1980s hit, e.g., ‘Jump’ by Van Halen, ‘Take on Me’ by A-Ha, ‘Into the Groove’ by Madonna, and even ’99 Luftballons’ by German star Nena. The film immediately starts with this character, and it’s thanks to this wonderful villain that ‘Despicable me 3’ keeps on the right side between failure and entertainment, if barely so.
Much less interesting are the other story lines: Gru and Lucy are fired, and Gru desperately tries to get his former job back. In a third and totally unexpected twist Gru suddenly discovers he has a twin brother (also voiced by Steve Carrell, voice of Gru), who wants to be a villain, like Gru used to be, but who clearly lacks the skills. The fourth story line involves the minions, who walk out of Gru, a fifth involves Agnes (the youngest of Gru’s three adopted children) and her wish to see a unicorn. And the sixth is about Lucy, and how she tries to be a substitute mom for the girls, especially to Margo, the eldest of the three.
Now, the first three plot lines, all involving Gru, at least intertwine into one, albeit rather loose narrative, but the other three feel forced and superfluous: they’re only there to give the other characters something to do. And even then, Judith, the middle one, is lost in the plot.
Much of the action takes place in ‘Freedonia’ (a clear nod to the Marx Brothers), while the finale takes place in Hollywood. Freedonia clearly is modelled as some French Mediterranean island, and betrays the Illumination studio’s French origin.
The character animation, like in the other installments, is delightfully cartoony and over the top, and better suited for the broad comedy than for the more subtle moments, and only Margo is animated straight, acting like a normal girl, and not like a cartoon character. By now, the effect animation is so good that one hardly notices. For example, the water and smoke animation is excellent and feels so natural, one easily forgets it’s animated, too. I also liked how the film makers made the 1980s Evil Bratt episodes look like old video recordings. The cinematography, too, is top notch, throughout.
But all the quality cannot rescue an overcrowded film that scores high on action, but very low on originality and heart. There’s even an obligatory breakup scene, which feels extra unnecessary, because it lasts so shortly. ‘Despicable Me 3’ is well made, but also mediocre, and with the exception of Evil Bratt, forgettable.
Watch the trailer for ‘Despicable Me 3’ yourself and tell me what you think:
‘Despicable Me 3’ is available on Blu-Ray and DVD
Dr. Grob's Animation Review 