Team America: World Police Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray release of "Team America: World Police" employs a 1080p AVC-encoded transfer that should be commendably familiar to those who may recall its initial distribution in 2013 by Warner and Paramount. Despite not having been newly remastered, the disc retains a satisfactory quality, driven largely by the meticulous lighting and fine-grained Super35 photography. The transfer holds up well with good detail, solid blacks, and vibrant colors devoid of excessive oversaturation. Importantly, there is no evident sign of digital manipulation marring the grain pattern, and the compression has been adeptly handled with an average bitrate of 33.74 Mbps.

That said, the image quality is not without its imperfections. The Blu-ray transfer, seemingly derived from the same master as the DVD release, displays occasional softness and a faintly hazy quality, especially in wide shots. Close-ups, however, exhibit superior detail. While film grain is visible, it often appears somewhat mushy, potentially indicating Digital Noise Reduction or a dated film scan. Notably, scenes featuring national monuments during the "Freedom Isn't Free" sequence suffer from lower-quality footage inherent to the original source. Nonetheless, the 2.40:1 aspect ratio presentation maintains precise and vibrant colors and a rich contrast range, delivering crisp shadow delineation and satisfactory depth overall.

Despite its shortcomings in meeting modern high-definition standards, "Team America: World Police" provides an engaging viewing experience with its Blu-ray release, balancing adequate detail, vibrant coloration, and considered compression. The absence of new remastering is palpable but does not detract significantly from the film's visual appeal in this format.

The audio presentation of "Team America: World Police" on Blu-ray offers a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that, while authentic to the film's satirical essence, shows varying levels of technical execution. The soundstage features a robust array of gunfire, explosions, and aircraft effects that effectively mimic action blockbuster soundtracks. The bass extension is serious but not overly excessive, providing the needed impact without overwhelming the listener. Dialogue clarity remains a strong point, even with the numerous exaggerated accents used by Parker and Stone, ensuring that character differentiation is never compromised.

However, the mix exhibits certain deficiencies in balance and fidelity. While the soundtrack parodies action movie audio convincingly, it sometimes veers into obnoxiously loud territory with effects and explosions that can be grating and fatiguing. The music and songs, composed by Henry Gregson-Williams following a late-stage change from Mark Shaiman's original score, do manage to spread effectively to the rear channels and maintain their comedic intent without sacrificing quality. Despite these positives, the overall fidelity offers only marginal improvement over standard DVD audio, lacking the distinction that audiophiles might expect from a Blu-ray release.

The "Team America: World Police" Blu-ray release is sorely lacking in extra content, especially when compared to the DVD editions released by Paramount in 2005. The DVD versions boasted a rich assortment of features including an introduction from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, deleted scenes, various featurettes, and more. Unfortunately, none of these made it to the Blu-ray. Moreover, there's no exclusive HD content or any bonus features, leaving the Blu-ray edition feeling incomplete and underwhelming. While the inclusion of bookmarking functionality through BD-Java coding is appreciated, it hardly compensates for the absence of substantial supplementary material.

Extras included in this disc:

• None: The Blu-ray has no additional content.

"Team America: World Police" offers a distinctive blend of biting satire and juvenile humor executed through marionette puppetry, a homage to the Thunderbirds-style Supermarionation shows of the 1960s. Created by "South Park" architects Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the film critiques American military interventionism, celebrity activism, and Hollywood's action movie tropes with equal vigor. The narrative follows an elite yet incompetent anti-terrorism squad that inadvertently causes more destruction than the terrorists they target. As they combat a nefarious plot by Kim Jong-Il, led by their newest recruit, actor Gary Johnston, the film deftly balances pointed political criticism with lowbrow humor.

The puppetry work and miniature sets are exceptionally detailed, creating an elaborate miniature world where marionettes with visible strings navigate through simulated global landmarks. The voice acting, largely done by Parker and Stone, maintains a sense of continuity with their previous works but introduces new characters that sometimes stretch their vocal range thin. The humor merges sharp political and social satire with vulgar jokes, often hitting the comedic mark but occasionally dragging—as seen in the extended vomiting and solo musical number "I'm So Ronery."

Despite its mixed reception and modest box office performance, "Team America" found its audience in home video markets, eventually becoming a cult classic. Its scathing parody remains relevant today, capturing both pop culture dynamics and ongoing political issues. Although the Blu-ray release from Warner lacks the robust extras previously available on DVD—including the Uncut version—its presentation of the R-rated theatrical cut suffices for most fans. The absence of seamless branching to include both film versions might be disappointing for some, but the core essence of Parker and Stone’s outrageous vision perseveres effectively.

The satirical movie Team America: World Police, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, remains incisive and comically impactful over a decade since its debut. From its sharp Supermarionation-style production to its biting critique of political issues, the film still resonates with audiences willing to engage with its bold humor. However, the Blu-ray release for this iconic piece is unfortunately underwhelming. The transfer shows no significant enhancement in picture or sound quality compared to prior European imports, though it does offer some marginal improvements over the DVD version. The omission of the Unrated version and the absence of any extra features diminish its value.

Technically, the Blu-ray presentation of Team America is acceptable but far from remarkable. The standard-definition DVD release is rivaled by the Blu-ray in clarity and detail, yet it falls short of the high-definition expectations one might have hoped for. Both audio and video are competent but not exceptional, reflecting a rather minimalist effort from Paramount/Warner. Fans of the film will find modest enhancements in visual and auditory fidelity, but not enough to fully justify the upgrade. The absence of previously available bonus content adds to the sense of missed opportunity in this release.

In an interview given just as Team America was being released, Parker and Stone acknowledged that many people would probably hate the film. Although it recouped its cost, it did not achieve the same success as South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The topic was polarizing then and remains divisive now. Regardless of one's views on the subject, Team America is a unique film by any standard. Avoid it if you're easily offended, but otherwise it's worth your time. The Blu-ray is technically acceptable, but for leaving off all the extras, Paramount/Warner shouldn't get anything more than a rock-bottom sale price.