South Park - Bigger, Longer, Uncut (4K UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Paramount  
Release Date: June 25, 2024
Rating: R
Film: 2.5/5
 
Plot
Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman sneak into an R-rated movie to see their favorite Canadian superstars. When their parents find out, they declare war on Canada. Now the boys have to stand up to their parents, stop World War III, and get Satan back to Hell before he destroys the world.  It's all part of a young boy's life in this quiet little mountain town.
 
My Thoughts
On June 30, 1999, Matt Stone and Trey Parker finally figured out how to avoid the TV sensors when they brought their basic animated characters to the big screen for the first time. While I’ve never considered myself a big fan of the show, I do watch it occasionally and find it to have some very funny bits, but usually by the end of the episode it wears out its welcome and I remember why I don’t watch it regularly.

 
Believe it or not, this is actually the first time I’ve sat down to watch the film and while I did enjoy some of the catchy musical numbers, the crude meter does go off the charts one too many times. Unfortunately for this viewer, the good doesn’t outweigh the bad.  


Given the rudimentary animation style of the source material, don’t expect to be blown-away by the presentation. Sure, the colors look a bit more vivid due to the expanded color palette and HDR grading. Having never watched the Blu-ray (although it’s included in this set), I’m not sure how it compares, but as a 4K presentation, I never found myself distracted. The audio track is apparently the same Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track that’s on the Blu-ray, which shines during the musical numbers due to the expanded soundstage. The LFE is present but its nothing that will threaten your home’s foundation and the dialog is always clear and concise.


Video 4/5 
Audio 4/5 (Dolby TrueHD 5.1)


Special Features:

• “What Would Brian Boitano Do?” Music Video
• Trailers
• Feature Commentary
• 4K + Blu-ray + Digital Copy

 

 
 
Conclusion
There are parts of South Park I find very amusing and others that rub me the wrong way. In this “Longer and Uncut” version, I did laugh at times, but they do cross the line a bit too much for my tastes. Maybe I’m in the minority though because they’ve been on air for 27 years now, so they must be doing something right.  
 

Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
 Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
 ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
 System Controller: URC MX-990
 M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
 M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
 Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[AVSCraig]

I loved South Park for a while. The raunchy humor doesn't bother me, but I think I burned out on the show. Unlike Team America - which just arrived!

[Paul Heroy]

SP has had its ups & downs. Not sure I’ve seen all of it but they cut down on the number of episodes several years ago and maybe that helped. The last few seasons seemed to be stronger. I still enjoy it, but a friend mentioned years ago the “Peanuts” type episodes (where the kids learn something at the end) are typically the best. 

[bmoney]

Blame Canada!