Now I am going to upset some quite close friends with this review and not because of this movie as I really do like this movie and I will explain all but with the sentence that follows this one. Back when I used to like South Park and that was not that many series into its run (around series four), I think I got bored and haven’t really watched it since. Which is strange as I do think it is funny but it has evolved and I didn’t. So, for the TV series I was done around 18 to 20 years ago. This movie was released back in 1999 and fitted in around the 4th series and took a poke at Saddam Hussain and the millennium doomsday merchants. It cost $21m to produce and then went on to make $83.1m from kids too young sneaking through checks to watch swearing on the big screen!! This starred the voices of South Park usual’s Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Mary Kay Bergman, Isaac Hayes along with George Clooney, Brent Spiner, Eric Idle & Mike Judge. The critics loved it as much as me so Disney must be involved then and it hits the scoreboard for Tri-Critic Sync Challenge and a current second position none the less. With 1 point lower than me from IMDb with a 7.7/10 and 2 points above me from Rotten Tomatoes with an 80% from them. This movie is well liked out there and I will explain the plot which may change your mind. Again I am going to go with the assumption you are aware of South Park and its original four main characters of Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski and Kenny McCormick and its profanity, dark and surreal humour.
The are two main threads of the story that combine as the boys are desperate to see the new Terrence & Phillip movie ‘Asses of Fire’ which is rated R so they need an adult to get them in. The boy’s bribe a homeless guy to get them in and as soon as the movie is over they start swearing wherever they go which really impresses the other kids at the school. However, it does not impress their teacher Mr Garrison who sends them to the school counsellor Mr Mackey who tells their parents!! They get forbidden from watching the movie ever again and Mr Mackey ‘cures’ them. They later sneak out and watch it again this time they walk out and start making bets with each other which results in Kenny trying to light a fart and exploding into flames killing him as a result of a botched attempt to save him at the hospital. Stan & Kyle gets grounded for two weeks and Cartman three whilst Stan goes to hell. In hell Satan and Saddam Hussain have become a couple and Satan is getting a little tired of Saddam’s fooling around. The parents led by Kyle’s mother starts a campaign against the nation of Canada for producing such a movie. Terrance & Phillip are arrested and then the US refuse to release them leading to increased tension between the two nations leading to war. Cartman gets a V-Chip inserted which gives him a shock every time he swears and Satan takes the war as a sign of the coming Apocalypse. Which means that when the blood of the two innocent Canadians are spilt on US soil he will be unleashed to take over the world. Terrance & Phillip are sentence to death. How will this end?
For me personally this movie coincides with when the love of this show started to wane, this movie was possibly the pinnacle of its joy. I really didn’t stay for the rest of the ride. I know friends that have stayed with the show and still do and I catch the odd 10 minutes here and there which I still laugh at but I feel the story and characters have moved beyond my interest. This movie was and still is very funny, very rude and was close to the mark for pre 2000 but it may have had its day but still is allowed an outing every now and again.
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