A mixed bag

Rating: 5/10 (7 July 1999)

As someone who really enjoys the show, and in general loves a good scathing satire, I entered the theater expecting to have a good time. After all, I had enjoyed Baseketball, and figured that Matt and Trey knew what they were doing with a feature film. Unfortunately, as regards SP:BLU, they don't.
Don't get me wrong; the movie has some genuinely side-splitting moments, and there was some brilliant parody. I even loved (most of) the musical numbers, and found the self-deprecating comments quite witty. But there were also moments when I was sitting there wondering why I'd come, thanks to the unending torrent of filth pouring out of the screen. It seems that our dynamic duo forgot the first rule of entertainment: always leave them wanting more. The South Park series gets a certain amount of its spice from crudity, rather like adding a few drops of tobasco to a recipe, but its substance is in its relentless parody of our foibles. SP:BLU is more like drinking a bottle of tobasco straight, and at points is about as funny as a broken ankle. The vulgarity seems to have been used more as filler than as a seasoning. If the spice had been used with a little more precision and restraint, the resulting dish would've been a real delight...rather than merely hot. I think in the future, I'll stick with the series, where the limits of time force them to concentrate on being truly funny...and I hope they will too.