Team America: World Police (2004) Poster

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8/10
Oh you guys are bad
ablobofbrowngoo31 December 2004
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.
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8/10
The very funny highs make up for any of the lows...
starbase_742 December 2004
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! :)
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8/10
Irreverently Hysterical. 'No One' is safe!
FilmFan7779 October 2004
Just came back from a pre-screening and I 'Loved It' No, it's not for kids in the least, total adult humor. Helps a bit if your politically savvy and know a bit about the Hollywood political types, yet either way, if you like South Park type of humor, your in for a load full of laughs.

They creatively took most every corny film shot you could think of, plenty of down right nasty language, marionettes getting shot and blown up in some pretty disgusting ways, parody songs that would make anyone blush, pop shots at world leaders, actors (big time), and anyone else you could think of and hit a home run with this as far as I'm concerned.

I wont say anymore except that these guys did a great job with this idea and I think it's going to make a mint! If you take it all in humorous perspective and not personally, (have some fun with it), this movie can take the laugh breath right out of you. As it did the whole audience just within the first 15 minutes without even a chance for a second breath.

Crude, rude, shrewd, corny, sexual, homophobic, nasty and irreverent will only begin to describe..."Team America World Police" I hope you enjoy it.
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Funny!
the_insainiak12 December 2004
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.
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7/10
Kim Jong Il on a string
caspian197821 October 2004
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.
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10/10
The most accurate portrayal of the modern world
tuckhead8 June 2019
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.
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7/10
Extremely rude but often hilarious satire
TheLittleSongbird6 February 2010
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
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10/10
Stupid, purile, offensive, I loved it
andrewjdavis-home1 May 2019
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
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7/10
an instant cult comedy hit (emphasis on 'cult', won't be for everyone)
Quinoa198413 October 2004
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!"
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10/10
My husband could have died watching this!
DebraIonaVogel17 September 2021
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.
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7/10
Satirises anyone they can think of
paudie11 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
So who gets lampooned in "Team America"?

North Korea, Far fetched action movie plots, Country music,Pearl Harbor (the movie,not the 1941 attack),Liberal film actors in general (Alec Baldwin and Matt Damon in particular),Broadway musicals, Movie sex scenes, TheThunderbirds TV series,US foreign policy

No doubt I've left out many others.

In short Parker and Stone take a scattergun approach to humour that mostly works. Perhaps their style is more suited to the 30 minute "South Park" TV format but there are plenty of good laughs to be had while watching this movie
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10/10
Funniest movie ever
pdmaynooth14 June 2019
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 !
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7/10
Insane and hilarious
MartianOctocretr511 November 2006
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.
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5/10
Pretty much a love/hate thing going on here...
Zombified_66030 May 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Firstly, I admire Trey Parker and Matt Stone for having the cahoneys to put this out at a time when so much of the media is under heavy scrutiny. To put something out that's so blatantly un-PC is a brave move and I wish them lots of luck with the movie.

However, for me, the political counterpunch it gives to the US authorities was one of the only things I enjoyed about it. Team America is a movie you'll either love or hate. It basically has one joke, maybe two, that are repeated over and over and over, and if you found those jokes funny then you'll laugh your behind off all the way through, but if you didn't you may be left sadly cold.

Halfway through the movie, Team America's base has been destroyed and an errant Team America member comes back to try and help. The leader details that if he wants to work for Team America again he has to be willing to do anything, then drops his pants. This joke perfectly illustrates what's wrong with the movie. If you find that funny okay, but that's what EVERY joke in the movie is like. It's simultaneously the movie's main selling point and everything that sucks about it.

The movie relies completely on puppets doing crude/wrong things, but never really goes past fart/wang jokes or un-PC jibes at other countries. Other similarly themed movies like Meet The Feebles or Wizards have animated characters dealing with actual real politics, real sex, drug addiction whatever...point is, they are actually mature movies, and for not assuming that everyone watching is going to laugh when the puppets/cartoons have sex, they come off looking very clever. Team America is crashingly immature, and you'll either dig that or not. I didn't. I know Parker and Stone are clever, and capable of much more, so I left with the same feeling I had with Kill Bill, that I'd just watched a couple of little boys playing with their video cameras.

What's even more frustrating is that when wit is injected into proceedings (NB: This is damned RARE) the movie is pure genius. For instance, real animals are involved in some proceedings (obviously dwarfing the puppets) resulting in some of the best, funniest sequences in the film, and simultaneously paying homage to things like Land of the Giants and the 50s/60s heritage the movie pulls on. In a more consistent movie, these would have been the icing on the cake, as it is it feels more like being slapped in the face with what could have been.

Don't get me wrong, if you don't expect anything more than a lot of cussing and puppets, this movie will provide it, and you'll probably enjoy it. However, those who got me to watch the film had made out it was big, funny and clever. It isn't, and if I hear them singing the America, **** Yeah song one more time I will kick them hard in the face. It seems once again, this is a movie with not much going on that's been blown out of all proportion by a small hardcore of fanboys. Watch it and make your own mind up, but you could be sorely disappointed. I'd err on the side of caution and just rent Meet the Feebles. Jackson didn't care if people liked him or not after the movie, and the film is therefore far less dull.
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A Nutshell Review: Team America World Police
DICK STEEL24 February 2005
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!
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7/10
Unrelenting in its ability to play up to contemporary politics, Parker and Stone's spoof on all things that make America "great" is as damning as it is funny.
johnnyboyz7 January 2011
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.
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10/10
Team America Checklist
stargunner25 October 2004
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!"
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7/10
America!!! F*** Yeah! Team America is funny all the way!
ironhorse_iv5 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is so amazing hilarious. The world needs more Marionette movies like this. I haven't saw many like this, before and many like this, after. The script for this film was actually Plan B from Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park, television fame in making a marionette movie. Their first idea was filming a 2004's The Day After Tomorrow or 1998's Armageddon, environment type movie with the puppets. Since, they couldn't secure the rights to the 'Day After Tomorrow' script. They fought for the remake of 1960's Thunderbirds puppet television show, script, only to get turn down when they found out that the studio that got it, wanted it to film it in live action. While the script did go on, to become a live action film, release in 2004 with Bill Paxton in the main role and a different director. It was deeply disappointing. Matt Stone & Trey Parker would use their notes for their Thunderbirds film, and rewrite it as Team America: World Police. Indeed, they really wanted to make a marionette movie. I really dig the puppet work, because a lot of hard work, went into it. The film had a troubled time in production, with various problems regarding the marionettes, as well as the scheduling extremes of having the film come out in time. I give the movie props to how detail the sets, were, and the puppets being used. It felt like we did come into their world. Household objects were used as props in order. It's fun looking for these items as Easter eggs throughout the film. Honestly, the movie wouldn't had work, if it wasn't done by puppets. The puppets really gives the film, its unique comedic look, and style. It's funny, watching the puppet move slightly odd. It is fun to watch them get killed off in outrageous deaths or trying to perform actions scenes. It's shocking to even, see puppets having a sex scene. The version of this scene in the uncut unrated DVD version is much more graphic and much longer. While, it's play for laughs, it's pretty pornographic. What made the movie, even better is the sociopolitical comedy film about United States political position about trying to police the world, post 9/11. No historic landmark is spared in their quest to take out potential threats to the United States. You can really see the tongue in cheek nature of being over-patriotism, while also see the over the top pacifists society of America. The film is an also a satire of big-budget action films, using clichés and stereotypes to get through the humorous emphasis on the global implications of the politics of the United States at the time. Team America focuses on a fictional team of political paramilitary policemen known as "Team America: World Police," who hired an Broadway actor, Gary Johnston (Voiced by Trey Parker) get inside information on the next terrorist attack, that is being plot by Kim Jong-il (Also voiced By Trey Parker). The supporting voice work by Kristen Miller, Matt Stone, Daran Norris and others were all great in their roles. The film also boasts the occasional musical number, from a 'Rent' musical spoof of 'Everybody got AIDS' to 'I'm so roney' sung by Kim Jong Il about how lonely it is to be an evil dictator. The main theme song is pretty damn, catchy. 2001's Pearl Harbor film by Michael Bay also gets it pretty hard as there's a whole song pretty much detailing why it sucks Yes, the film is very controversy. The film has racist stereotypes, sexual derogatory words, some gross potty humor, and constant profanity. The filmmakers had to fight with the Motion Picture Association of America for Rated R, after getting NC-17 rating, a number of times. The film was recut by a few seconds and rated R. It's really hard to think that this film is NC-17. I saw worst animation type movies than this, get PG like 1986's, Howard the Duck. This movie was at less, watchable. This R-Rating movie isn't for children, so don't get confused by the animations and decide to let small children, watch the film. Still, the film had a really good message toward adults. There is an amazing speech in the end that all comedy and satire, but really, that speech still is valid to what's going on with the world. Like South Park, there are plenty of celebrity caricatures here, that can make you, laugh your head off. My favorite had to be the Matt Damon puppet. Parker and Stone had a particular beef with Michael Moore and took it out on his character due to 1999's Bowling for Columbine documentary in which it seems like Moore made them in favor of his position when they weren't. The only celebrity that took really offend on his portrayal in the film had to be Sean Penn, who took the film as an insult to helping out war torn countries. While, I'm a huge fan of his work, I did think Sean Penn took the movie, too serious. Other celebrities just ignored it, or laugh it off, but Sean Penn really made headlines with this feud against the movie. It only help gather free promoting to go, see the film to the normal audience member. Americans need to be able to laugh at themselves and I found it to be, a very smart comedy. Overall: Team America: World Police delivers the laughs and it's worth the watch.
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10/10
Wonderfully poignant satire at a much needed time
shootfromthehip10 October 2004
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.
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7/10
Funny, Witty Satire On Everything
Eumenides_021 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
'Team America: World Police' is one of the best satires in modern cinema! Matt Stone and Trey Parker have matured a lot since the days of 'South Park' and it shows in this movie: it has more coherence, its jokes are more mature although the creators never mind indulging in gratuitous gore and scatological images, and the satire is sharper and more purpose-driven than in their previous movie. And they did it all with puppets! I love the way they spare no one and take no sides — Republicans and Democrats are both get it, terrorists are ridiculed, Kim Jong Il finally receives some spotlight; I'm glad someone finally realised Saddam isn't half the threat this mad dictator in North Korea is, and perhaps this movie will educate some about it after all. This movie made my wish come true of seeing Michael Moore blown up to pieces, even if it were just a puppet: I hate this guy although we both agree on politics, but he just seems too eager to be under the lime lights all the time, and besides he makes very crappy, partial documentaries, manipulating facts when these should be objective. And not even Hollywood actors were spared. This might confuse many people, since the impression the filmmakers give is that they hate Penn and Robbins just because they're left-wingers. I think their problem is that they're just Americans.

In Europe there's some tolerance when an actor or writer or artist speaks out about politics; there's no reason to suppose they're not as well-informed as actual politicians. But in the USA it seems it doesn't look right when actors talk about politics, even if they're intelligent people like Tim Robbins who's made some good political movies. So they fall victim to satires like this; it seems even intelligent people like Parker and Stone missed that. Of course one should what then gives Trey and Parker to mess with politics, too? Even so, the jokes involving the actors were brilliant: Kim Jong Il's depending on the acting skills of Alec Baldwin to gather the world leaders in his palace, Gary's line to Susan Sarandon about her losing her acting skills, Gary's fear of out-performing Baldiwn because 'he's the greatest actor in the world,' they were all brilliant! Nothing beats Kim Jong Il singing in his palace, though.

This is a musical and all the songs are witty and tongue-in-cheek: 'I'm So Ronery' was obviously brilliant. The joke on Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer was priceless: the 'Pearl Harbor' song will remain in my mind for life! It's funny and completely true – Cuba Gooding Jr. did deserve a bigger role in 'Pearl Harbor.' My favourite is 'Montage,' a brilliant piece of meta criticism on the art of film-making and a parody of montage-type scenes like the one where Gary goes from a wimp to a super soldier in two minutes… 'Even Rocky had a montage' indeed! I wasn't expecting much from this movie besides mindless fun in the sense 'South Park' was mindless fun to me. But 'Team America: World Police' is actually quite clever and witty satire. Parker and Stone have promised never to work with puppets again, which is a pity, they're hilarious, but I hope they can outdo themselves with their next movie! These two brilliant filmmakers just seem to get better and better.
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9/10
Thank You For Making This Film
conmech15 June 2019
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.
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7/10
Hilarious most of the time, but annoying at others
FairlyAnonymous23 December 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Team America: World Police is a hilarious movie in both premise and in action. The fact that the entire movie is made with marionette dolls is not only funny but clever. The other great thing about this movie is that it is a good satire of America and just about everyone. That is the nice thing about this movie: It should offend everyone equally.

The movie follows the premise of Team America having to stop Kim Jong-il before he destroys most of world with weapons of mass destruction. The movie is careful enough to make this premise work by adding many hilarious and weird moments so that the movie never becomes truly offensive (particularly when is shows Islamic stereotypes). One of the greatest things about this movie is that it takes advantage of the marionette dolls and essentially "breaks the fourth-wall" without the characters ever being aware. This is done by a lot of gags that involve how stupid the dolls move and just how absurd everything is. Sometimes the dolls don't walk properly, sometimes props seem to mess up, heck; a giant statue of Kim Jong-Il is literally a guy wearing bronze makeup and standing still. This is where a lot of the movie's best jokes come from: The design jokes and the satire jokes.

But then, there is the weaker side to this movie: The crude jokes. While some of them work, a lot of them don't. Now I know people will say "You either like South Park humour or you don't" (This is made by Trey and Matt, after all) but that isn't it. The problem is that the crude jokes don't add anything to the movie... and they aren't even funny. For one scene, the main character has give oral-sex to another man to be accepted as a member of Team America. This scene is referenced multiple times in the movie, but it was never funny to begin with. Just because something is crude, doesn't mean it is funny. It is only funny if it is executed properly. Just saying crude dialogue isn't funny in itself.

Unfortunately, the last third of the movie focuses mostly on crude humour for most of its jokes which makes the movie feel like a real drag. Instead of having witty satire and funny parodies in the first half, it tries to outdo itself in the final act. For some reason the movie thinks that the only way to outdo clever humour is with non- clever humour.

Fortunately, the first two thirds of the movie are pretty funny and unique. I wouldn't say the third act of the movie didn't have funny jokes--because it was still funny--but it seemed to get caught up at times and is essentially the weakest point of the film. The intro to this film is also probably one of the funniest moments.

The main reason why I like this film is for its originality and how many weird and obscure hidden "marionette" jokes are in it.
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9/10
Well Worthwhile, But Not For The Squeamish
CTS-12 January 2005
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.
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7/10
Mastery of a another medium
FatPhil26 March 2006
Parker and Stone have yet again shown that they can take a deliberately limited medium, and, working with its restrictions rather than fighting against them, produce a poignant yet comical delight.

Like SP:BL&U, both the script and the songs are packed with "did they really just say that" moments. Many of the vignettes will be easily-recognisable borrowings from many sources. Of course the action movie clichés are there by the bucket-load, but you'll also see Monty Python too. Mind your step.

A must see for anyone hyperemetically sick of action movies or out-of-control presidents.
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5/10
Great moments do not make a great movie
stuart_mcmillen22 April 2005
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
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