“Matt Damon” – Matt Damon.
Team America, an international police force dedicated to maintaining global stability learns that a power hungry dictator is brokering weapons of mass destruction to terrorists. The heroes embark upon a harrowing mission to save the world. – Synopsis via Paramount Pictures
TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE is directed by Trey Parker. It is written by the trio of Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Pam Brady. This is sort of a call back to the old shows like THE THUNDERBIRDS where this is a team of vastly different, “patriotic” characters. It lives in the same vein as SOUTH PARK so if you’re into their brand of comedy, you’ll enjoy this. Also, the puppeteers deserve to get recognition for the hard work that they put into the production. Lead puppeteers are Greg Ballora, Scott Land, and Tony Urbano.
I know that comedy is subjective but I have to say that I’m a fan. It even sneaks in a musical element that you can’t help but giggle at. That little callback reminds me of Mel Brooks’ TO BE OR NOT TO BE. I’ll let people discover this for themselves and hopefully see the comedy.
Cast
Trey Parker as Gary Johnston/Kim Jong Il/Hans Blix /Matt Damon
Kristen Miller as Lisa Jones
Masasa Moyo as Sarah Wong
Daran Norris as Spottswoode
Phil Hendrie as I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.
Maurice LaMarche as Alec Baldwin
Chelsea Marguerite as a French mother
Jeremy Shada as Jean Francois
Fred Tatasciore as Samuel L. Jackson
VIDEO QUALITY 4/5
The video is a 2160p HEVC Dolby Vision transfer. The details have a subtle uptick and a little less than I expected. That being said, the images look wonderful. The colors are bright and have their highlights in a few scenes but the big winner is red. The Dolby Vision is nice inclusion and adds to the color depth but, like the details, is subtle. The particulars of the roughly 22” puppets are incredible. The format shows off the intricacies of the costumes, facial movements, and strings. The contrast is clean has some nice darks and shadows.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
The audio is a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. There are plenty of explosions and gunfire but also other effects that work the sound field well. LFEs get plenty of play in the same action scenes. The dialogue is clear and prioritized.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING 3/5
-Team America: An Introduction
-Building the World
-Crafting the Puppets
-Pulling the Strings
-Capturing the Action
-Miniature Pyrotechbnics
-Up Close WIth Kim Jong-Il
-Puppet Test
-Dressing Romm Test
-Deleted/Extended Scenes and Outtakes
-Storyboards
-Trailers
Disc Details
2 Disc Set w/1 4k UHD and 1 Blu-ray
Digital Copy Included
Slipcover Included
Running Time
97 mins
Edition Ratings
Rated R
Region Coding
Region Free
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC / H.265
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
HDR
Dolby Vision
HDR10
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles
English
English SDH
French
Spanish
Blu-ray
Video Resolution
1080p AVC MPEG-4
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio Mixes
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
German Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
French
Dolby Digital 5.1
Italian Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese Dolby Digital 5.1
Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitle
English,
English SDH
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
Spanish
Danish
Dutch
Finnish
Norwegian
Swedish
THE FINAL WORD 4/5
If you want to sit and watch something that might make you laugh, this is the one for you. As I said, the film follows the same rules as Mel Brooks or some other comedy creator. The 4k upgrade has a great video transfer and the audio gets the job done. The extras are good but from the Blu-ray release (I believe) and they haven’t added extras in years. Maybe this will be seen on a future anniversary release. This movie is out of control. The crazy jokes, the cast of characters, and, of course, the puppet sex. I highly recommend giving this a chance and to pick up the 4k version.
Bad Habit Online 