South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut Blu-Review

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2013)

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South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut was what really got me interested in South Park, I did see a few episodes before that, but the movie is where I really "got it". Most people see the show as low-brow humor, done cheaply, for cheap laughs, but anyone who's really paid attention notices the social commentary and "nothing is off-limits" angle of the humor to the show, and movie. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut does pick up between shows, but you can still watch it without seeing the show and enjoy it for what it is, nearly 15 years later it's still funny and relevant, taking a stab at how American entertainment is skewed to allow violence to go to extremes, yet sex and fowl language are very regulated. Co-Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have dealt with the MPAA on several occasions, especially with this movie, which was just a big middle finger to them to begin with. Like bullied victims the South Park movie was a big return upper-cut after tons of abuse and beatings.
South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut begins with the boys (Stan, Kyle, Cartman, and Kenny-all voiced by Parker and Stone) going to see the new Tarrence & Phillip movie: Asses of Fire. The R rated Canadian movie sets off a fire-storm of trouble when the boys' parents blame the movie for the their potty mouth and the death of Kenny, after he lit one of his farts on fire. With Kyle's mom Sheila (Mary Kay Bergman) leading a group of parents against Canada, war and (literally) all Hell breaks loose. The Oscar nominated music is wonderful, and needless to say the Parker and Stone's craft has come full circle with "Book of Mormon" musical, the same talent shines through here.
As far as the Blu-Ray is concerned, once again Paramount dropped the ball, and the new release is hardly worth celebrating, considering the original DVD was bare bones, there isn't much for extras here either, the fact that the Blu-Ray was obviously made from a film-print and not the original digital animation files is beyond me. Makes no sense that a new master for the Blu-Ray simply wasn't ported over, considering the movie and show have always been animated by computer (minus the pilot episode, that was actually done with construction paper cut outs). The last few years of the show look better than the High Definition presentation we are given here. It's not the worst picture ever, but unless it was requested by the creators I don't know why they would chose to master it this way.
The only extras are a collection of trailers, a music video of "What Would Brian Boitano Do" , and a commentary by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, which of course is the reason to get this Blu-Ray. The commentary is very retrospective of course being over a decade since it's release, but they are entertaining of course, the duo does mini commentaries for each episode on the season sets, but they never get real in-depth, so the rare chance to hear them talk about the film and South Park in general in a more candid and open way is a treat and the only reason there is even a rating for the extras on my final grade. It's about half-way there, but this movie screams out for a kick-ass full blown Special Edition, c'mon Paramount!!!
RATINGS:
MOVIE: 10 out of 10
AUDIO/VIDEO: 8 out of 10/7 out of 10
EXTRAS: 5 out of 10