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.
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.