User reviews

I'm sure plenty of parochial critics will berate this film for anti-American values during the current "war on terror"....BUT...the great thing about this film is that no one is spared being mocked. This bears the standard of a great film by expressing the ironies innate in every argument in this quasi-political tale; from socialist Michael Moore, fashionably charitable celebrities to the terrorists and the, ahem "world police." This couldn't be more accurately summed up than in one of the funniest ever analogies that is employed in this film; the "Dic*s, P*ssies, and a*s*holes, argument." This film also wonderfully parodies the standard conventions and cliché's of the action film genre to create an entertaining, and gleefully controversial film.

I went into Team America expecting to see something along the lines of South Park humor, and I wasn't disappointed.

If you can't stand South Park's humor, you won't enjoy this at all. The use of marionettes was an unusual choice, but thanks to the great puppetry and designs, they work very well.

The story is just really there to serve the increasingly twisted humor of Trey and Matt's vision. And it works perfectly. There are at least three scenes which made the audience (and me) in the theater laugh out very loud - that is something that very few comedies in recent times have been able to accomplish.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed Team America; but then I really enjoy South Park. A very entertaining (adult) cinematic excursion for the South Park creators, and an impressive display of puppetry skills (for which the sex scenes will be remembered! :)

As much as I hate to admit it, Trey Parker and Matt Stone are actually quite talented in a sick twisted, strange, little way. After laughing my butt off during South Park Bigger, Longer & Uncut, I couldn't wait to see this movie. I was not disappointed.

This could be by far the funniest film this year. The plot is easy to follow, as it borrows from most action flicks you see these days, but the way in which it is made is incredible. The fact that these are puppets is enough to make you laugh throughout the entire film. The jokes are funny and don't fall flat. As I was watching the opening, I thought it might run out of steam as it went on. My ticket said it went for almost 2 hours, and I wondered how it would sustain the entire time. It flew. The film is a guilty pleasure.

And parents, before you take your kids to see this, then complain it was disgusting, please read the R Rating! Sit back, relax and watch, but not with coke in your mouth. It will get spit everywhere.

A guilty pleasure for sure. The humor is brazenly sophomoric, but this film gets away with it. Seeing marionettes performing the outrageous events in this chaos evoked some of the loudest laughs I've enjoyed in quite some time.

Terrorists, led by Korean dictator Kim Jong Il (sounding a lot like Elmer Fudd with a head cold) who has a routine aspiration to take over the world, are up against the Team America World Police. Peace activists from Hollywood also find their way into this film's psychotic universe. The socio-political mockeries are rampant everywhere, and no one is safe from this movie's vigilante response. Characters are impaled, decapitated, shot up, burned up, drowned, blown to bits etc.

The deliberately hokey puppetry work is priceless. Wires are clearly visible, (but cleverly not visible when the focus joke of a scene would be upstaged by their appearance), and the awkward, jerky movements while walking or dancing are integrated well. Puppets seen bouncing around in vehicles, or sitting stiffly in their chairs make the effect obvious too. My personal favorite action scene is the aerial dogfight while the Team America freedom fighters are discussing their soap opera love entanglements while they blast enemy planes in cheesy special effects explosions.

No mention of this film would be complete without acknowledging the brilliant love ballad, "Pearl Harbor Sucks, and I Miss You." This gag was absolute genius (and I couldn't agree with the sentiment more). Some of the other music score was clever too, fitting the general tone and style of the movie's humor.

There's a lot of language and intimate scenes not appropriate for all audiences. There seems to be a trend lately to show somebody puking, too, and the movie has a grossly protracted scene of this which seems like the film makers felt obligated to include it. Some of the in-your-face gross-out humor is overdone, but the movie is still overall a laugh riot.

Recommended for most audiences, if gross-out humor doesn't bother you.

The most realistic view of today's world and puppet sex. There are few movies that truly capture the essence of American in the post 9-11 world. Matt Damon is amazing as Matt Damon.

It's not Gone With the Wind, but it is a great movie! Parker & Stone push the envelope again and again in this off the wall comedy that would make Jim Henson stand up and cheer. Any comedy that portrays Kim Jong Il as a lonely, confused and mad dictator deserves an audience. The creators of South Park pock fun at politics, celebrities, terrorism, James Bond, and puppets, while also creating a funny and well done musical soundtrack that is better than the South Park Musical / Comedy. Off the wall for most of the movie, the puppets having sex only is worth accepting this movie into the cinematic hall of fame. The vomit scene, the death of Kim Jong Il, the musical score, the montage parody and the production value are all worth it. A movie for all South Park fans, this blows (literally) Base-ket Ball out of the theater.

Our adult son recommended this to my husband. Not me, just him.

We watched together anyway and oh my dear Lord, the humanity...and hilarity!

He was laughing crazy hard, eating popcorn and humming the theme song: America, *heck yeah!

One false move and he would have choked to death. It would have been worth it. Great, great movie.

Team America:World Police does have its flaws but it is a hilarious and exceptionally crafted satire. It is very easy to be offended by this sort of film, as this film pokes fun at everybody and everything and is not kind about it. And I do admit the plot is a little obvious, some scenes like the vomit sequence are drawn out a bit too much and some(heavy emphasis on this word) of the writing goes overboard. But it is very funny, with some genuinely hysterical moments especially the lampooning of Hollywood stars and works surprisingly well as a satire with clear sardonic wit in places. Technically and visually, this film is exceptional, the backgrounds, puppetry and lighting are all superb and award worthy. The music is also excellent, and there is some great vocal work. Overall, Team America:World Police isn't for everyone, I for one had to see it a few times to completely get what was going on. It is flawed, but it is very well done as a satire. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I genuinely have no idea how someone could give this movie less than 10. I have watched it once every couple of years since it came out and I am still in awe of so many of the scenes after all this time. You just need to say "Jean pierre", "terrorise this","Hans Brix", "the signal","suck my...","three types of people" and I am mentally replaying each scene crying with laughter. A true masterpiece, python for the 21st century

Trey Parker and Matt Stone, at least for what they know as comedians and filmmakers, do their jobs well for their intended audience. The people who will want to see this are likely already fans via South Park, or perhaps by way of Cannibal: the Musical! or BASEketball. And like their past projects, they incorporate everything they can work with (i.e. the most extreme exaggerations imaginable by way of influences of Monty Python, Broadway musicals, Troma, and the presence of celebrities in the media) and take it a step further. By looking at just the idea of having a film where every single speaking or non-speaking role are made by puppets on strings (first parody being Thunderbirds, which luckily doesn't wear off as a novelty but stays fresh through numerous visual gags) brings to question if they're trying to make a big social point about the state of the world, or if they just want to try something new, challenging, and wacky. The latter might be the more rightful argument.

I could go into the plot, however there is nothing crucial to divulge. Chiefly, the film takes on the story conventions ingrained in the kinds of summer blockbusters Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer produce (there's even a reference somewhere about Pearl Harbor), involving a team of elite fighters who stop terrorists with WMD's all around the world. But with the emergence of Kim Jong Il the brutal, Elvis-hair dictator, and the Film Actor's Guild (or F.A.G.), they plan to stop the team. While America's now current President and his opponent are left out of the fun, most of what has been up for grabs satirically is in this film. What ensues from start to finish are a string (no pun intended) of gags involving anything and everything to get a laugh out of the obvious, the subtle, the obscene, and the stupid.

Parker, Stone, and co-writer Pam Brady, are ambitious with this film, and aside from the sometimes ludicrous nature of the punch lines, the point of the film (while appropriately convoluted by way of the blockbuster genre) isn't lost on me. Is America bad, good, or neutral in its actions as world police officers? The point might be lost on some, though, and some of the gags don't work as well as the best ones. But when the film delivers, it's on par with the boys' best work. The sheer audacity of the production is one that's so original and outrageous that you sometimes might laugh at yourself for laughing. By the time the climax of the film hits in the heart of North Korea, all bets are off. Team America: World Police doesn't try for the kind of dead-pan satire of say Dr. Strangelove. It's more akin to Airplane! That is if it were made by a couple of unhinged, often smart-ass couple of guys as if let loose in the film studio to run rampant. Some jokes may just fly over your head, which is perhaps all the better- it's the kind of film I'll want to see again with a bunch of friends.

So, "terrorists, TERRORIZE THIS!"

This is the funniest movie I have ever seen . Gross , immature , ridiculous, silly , childish , disgusting , puerile.What more could a 42 year old man child want ? Brilliant on every level ! Genius ! Hilarious ! Great social commentary !

Team America: World Police opens in a similar vein to that of the South Park film from five years earlier; those crafty, playful, devilish little animators turned surprisingly apt film-makers Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker beginning with a puppet show within a puppet show; a badly done, poorly executed display of characters on strings attempting to walk across the simplest of sets but doing so crassly. We pull back, the film then revealing a functioning and workable enough little set complete with puppets on strings. The opening recalls that of the establishing shot of the mountain peak in the South Park film of 1999; a composition which, in any other film, animated or otherwise, would have looked majestic in all its natural beauty; there, seemingly pasted together with little more than some blue, green and white card. The opening set the shameless, but reigned in, tone for the film; a real disregard on behalf of Stone and Parker linked to any sort of issues or problems you might have with levels of competence in the piece. Team America: World Police is no different; an up-front and stark tackling of the contemporary politics which dominate our global climate; a brutally effective, blackly comic film which is unashamed and forthright in its study but wonderful anyhow.

The film covers the pratfalls and misadventures of a young man whom joins a small, elite group of American warmongers operating out of an isolated island base. The reason for his joining comes in the form of the the group of five tragically being cut down to four, when one of them is brutally gunned down by Middle Eastern insurgents in the aftermath of a Parisian gunfight. The Americans, in the form of blonde siren Lisa (Miller) and the deceased Carson (co-director Parker), hilariously have their plight granted priority screen time so that their romantic issues linked to marriage and death may be melodramatically dealt with over that of the plight of the French, whom have just had half their capital eradicated through the gunfight. Following this, the elderly and wheelchair bound leader of the troupe in Spottswoode (Norris) rectifies the situation by hiring the film's protagonist; a Broadway actor named Gary (Parker, again). The other Team America members are: Sarah (Moyo), supposedly harbouring psychic powers; aggressive young alpha-male caricature Chris; the more reserved Joe, whom harbours his own secret feelings towards Lisa; with each of them exercising specific skills across a range of specific fields. The base is overseen by a dopey sounding super-computer named I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E. (Hendrie).

Things are about to get tough for the Team America crew, as, many miles away, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il plots global Armageddon; his castle shrouded in gloom; the skies above made up of a blood red hue and his patience with most things erroneously thin. Gary's acting qualities are perfect for an inside job the team have in mind, their attempts at Middle-Eastifying Gary and deluded beliefs that they have done a thorough job on transforming his facial build and appearance exemplifying a distinct arrogance linked to how ill-informed they actually are on those of whom they fight. The plan requires them to up and off to Egypt to attempt to foil terrorist activity, however attainable.

The piece is a clear and carefully aimed attack directed solely at The Unites State's foreign policy, specifically, the idea that other nations greatly suffer as a result of (Team) America's enforcing of these ideas and the enthusiasm in trying to promote these ideas which comes with it. Take, for example, the instance during which a terror attack is foiled in one country through their involvement with another one (whom was initially totally uninvolved) consequently dragged into the mire. Such a sequence goes on to brutally encapsulate the true-to-life situation of how America's actions can affect those from other countries and how they can fall victim to the war on terror: specifically, those in The United Nations whom uncover trouble whilst helping maintain the occupation of certain Middle Eastern nations. In another scene, The Team sense blood as they chase down their terrorist targets; the fact a friendly directly in the firing line and they ought to be aware that there is casually ignored as the kill nears and information which would reveal important truths ignored. The wading on in gung-ho, given the opportunity's there, scathingly capturing degrees of truth linked to real life events further linked to particular American attitudes in the heat of the war-zone.

Team America: World Police is a blackly comic, thoroughly confrontative piece on a war of the times; a 21st Century equivalent to what Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove was to The Cold War, a Thunderbirds-come-Hollywood blockbuster spoof equivalent of one of those old funny-shorts you'd get in which goose-stepping Nazi soldiers during grandeur political parades were played in normal time and then in mocking reverse motion, before flicking back again. Here, The War on Terror is observed as a thing of absurdity or ridiculousness; the idea that a group of seemingly accomplished individuals from a first world country, led by an elderly suave man with a clouded mind, can make a difference by doing what they do and getting involved at every which way possible. The whole thing is exemplified very early on during a deliberately poorly choreographed fist fight between the two warring sides in a nondescript Muslim and the All American trooper; a fight between two factions reduced to petty squabbling and frenzied thrashing about in a chaotic and unorganised manner, crucially, there is no winner; merely schoolboy antics which ultimately makes both sides look as pathetic as each another. Parker and Stone's film is a scathing metaphorical documenting of a foreign policy full of ill-advised and dangerous decisions which endangers many and destroys nations and lives in the process. At a time when many American comedies have annoying habits of just playing material 'safe', Team America: World Police is the welcome tonic.

This movie is crude, rude, politically incorrect, but hell yeah, a whole lot of fun! Well, what do you expect from the makers of South Park?

The setting of the movie is Today - in the wake of 9/11 and of transnational terrorism. Team America's the world police, equipped with "Thunderbirds"-like firepower and fancy transportation, whose mission is to strike at terrorists around the world. And what more, the main baddie's North Korea's Kim Jong Il and his band of middle eastern terrorist posse with WMD... hmm... a little too close to reality for comfort?

This film is so full of itself/America that it gets most of its laughs from there. From location settings that takes reference point from America, to the current inane insensitivity of American forces on foreign soil, to pointing fingers at bad Intelligence, it is all insane fun from the beginning when pandemonium strikes, that you start to wonder who actually does more damage - Team America, or the terrorists themselves.

Another highlight of this movie is the songs! When you first hear the Team America Theme, with it's "America! F* YEAH!", you know you'd had better pay attention to the lyrics of songs to come, some of which pokes fun at Pearl Harbour, pokes fun at film-making (the use of montages), and you even have Kim Jong Il doing a solo number! As with most slapstick comedies, sometimes you just gotta spoof some classics, which includes Star Wars, Matrix and Top Gun. Also, if you enjoy MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch, then you'll also enjoy the numerous fight sequences in Team America, which is just as creative in its decapitations, and as bloody.

Another infamous scene that got a lot of attention, was the sex scene between 2 lead puppets. It's no holds barred, puppetry porn. Whatever positions you can think of, it's mimicked on screen. Moreover, the conversational dialogue that led them to making love, is totally inane.

Look out for appearances by familiar Hollywood faces, and political figures like Hans Blix, Tony Blair, etc, used without their kind permission more like, as they're put in really bad, but hilarious, light.

America, F* YEAH!

The one thing I noticed while attempting to breathe during this movie was that people were walking out in between bursts of hysterical laughter.

Unfortunately, this movie is not for everyone. I wish it didn't offend some but it does. So, if you want to know whether you will enjoy this film or not, you must answer "yes" to the following:

1. I am not offended by the "F" word. Being repeated 300 times.

2. I am not offended by intense marionette sex.

3. I am not offended by racial satire.

4. I am not offended by ridiculous political satire.

5. I am not a member of the Film Actor's Guild.

If you're like me and have answered "yes" to the above five questions, go see this film. You will laugh so hard it will hurt and you will giggle about it for the next week thereafter.

I have to say that I am very desensitized when it comes these kinds of films, and I'd say that Team America has raised the bar in derogatory humor. But that only made it more hilarious. I give it 5 stars, two thumbs up, 10 out of 10; it was flawless. But...

On the other hand, if you're not like me, you might find yourself walking out by the third time you hear the song, "America, F*** Yeah!"

I was wondering why this movie never had a sequel because it looks like a no-brainer. Unfortunately I realized the makers of the movie hated making it because the puppets were hard to work with, the movie didn't make bring too much money, and there was a lot of critical backlash, even the liberal actors hated it. I feel like the movie was made just for me. First of all, I never laughed at a movie this hard for years. Everything is great about this movie. How they worked on the animatronics, the references, easter eggs, THE SONGS. Trey Parker is just a natural talent. Plus, I appreciate it as a person living in the middle east, because it's still the best movie which pokes fun at USA claiming to bring peace to the middle east while invading it for its own benefit, and actually bringing more misery. So once again, thank you guys for everything.

No Spoilers.

First off, I'd like to say that this film is everything a South Park/Trey Parker devotee could hope for. It's sly, it's vulgar, it's full of gore/profanity/violence/nudity, and it is made entirely with marionettes.

The sheer amount of wit and subversive humor packed into this film is mind boggling, but yet it doesn't bog you down with vague references and really confusing in-jokes. And goddamn, puppets swearing/having sex/killing people/dancing never gets old. NEVER.

The film is actually almost 2 hours long, but as expected, is one which time takes on less relevance. Of course, some people are going to see just how limited Trey Parkers voice talents are, but having 4 different minor character sound exactly the same is always a surefire treat. Take note that a grand total of zero big name actors lend their voice to this film, though Little B**ch(Dian Bachar) does give a little appearance here and there.

The whole film is real. You heard me. Absolutely nothing in this movie (with the exception of the title credits and I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E.) was done with computers. While this may sound impressive on paper, on film it's actually a masterful achievement. While Parker sometimes plays into the film's self-conscious aura and indulges the audience a bit, most scenes are played out to their full puppet potential. I'm sure this film will be a benchmark in the world of puppeteering for years to come, despite it's content.

All in all, it was exactly what I expected (and I have high standards for Parker) and I could not have been happier with the result. A second viewing will be needed, just to take in all the detail of the film, as the sets are lush, elaborate and breathtaking scale models of cities all over the world.

For those who want to bother comparing it to Parkers earlier forays, yes, it is better than Cannibal! and Orgazmo, but does not quite stand up to SP:BLU, but only because BLU had the background and the familiarity factor. After a second viewing, this opinion could very likely change.

In other words, if you like this sort of stuff, you'll love it. If you are iffy on Parker/South Park/libertarian humor, then you will most likely hate it. But what else is new.

Fans of Parker and Stone's prior efforts will both love this, and know what to expect from this. Politically, no group is left unsatirized: from the idiotic faux-country patriotic music, to know-it-all leftie actors being portrayed as goon puppets (the more self-important members of the Tim Robbins and Sean Penn fan clubs may want to skip this), no group escapes without being ridiculed.

Of course, what one would expect besides savage social commentary is gross-out humor, and that is present in droves. This has the best puppet vomiting scene since "Meet The Feebles." In addition, there is: puppet "marital relations," puppets being blown up, puppets being fed to cats, puppets being fed to sharks... All the puppets are done in the style of "Thunderbirds" (the old TV show, not the dismal failure of a live-action movie). And the songs are hilarious too! "'Pearl Harbor' sucks and I miss you" is one of the funniest songs you will ever hear.

Having seen a lot of action movies in my life, I love the way this picture from the creators of SOUTH PARK makes fun of the various clichés. THe puppet work is excellent, but I wonder what Gerry Anderson would think if he saw this picture.

There is one rather gross bit at one point which I thought was totally gratuitous but the movie overall is very funny as it gets at the Gung Ho jingoism of some action films. Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Maurice La Marche and the rest of the voice cast are very good in their performances and nobody it seems is safe from the parody as people like MIchael Moore, Matt Damon, Sean Penn etc. are given a thorough roasting. Some people may see this picture as tasteless but I love it. It's an excellent parody.

After the terrorism events of the early 2000s comes 'Team America: World Police' by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the team behind South Park. I'm a pretty big fan of South Park and 'That's My Bush!', but have found the other movies that they've been involved with in the past (Orgasmo and BASEketball) to be pretty sub-par.

Firstly, I'll just say that the puppets and the puppeteering work in this movie is very impressive; it certainly would have taken a long time to build all the sets and choreograph the numerous puppets that are on screen at each time.

As to the MOVIE itself, there were some fantastic moments in this film (eg: 'montage', the early marriage proposal, 'there are three kinds of people'), but however these weren't enough to hold up the whole film, as many of the scenes were pretty boring, with no jokes (or worse, repetition of jokes that have already been used). Also, unlike similar shows/movies like South Park, you just didn't CARE about what happened to the Team America members; they were just there to facilitate the story line.

As I said earlier, even though there are some great jokes here, that is not enough to make the MOVIE as a whole great. Team America is good for a watch, but don't expect a classic comedy movie. 5/10