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DVD Review: South Park Imaginationland

(This was originally posted about a week and a half ago, but some reason was lost in the far reaches of the server. If you suffer from deja vu when you see this newly posted up, that's why.)

At the end of South Park season 11, viewers were watching in suspense as an epic trilogy unfolded-that trilogy was Imaginationland. Starting off with Cartman and Kyle's bet involving Kyle gently sucking on Cartman's pubicle sack and culminating in a battle worth of Two Towers, it's just as awesome as it was months ago.

The "feature" (it's called a feature, but it's blatantly obvious it's still three episodes) begins with Cartman betting Kyle that leprachauns do exist, and if they do, Kyle has to finally suck Cartman's balls. Against all odds, the boys spy a leprachaun, who warns them of an ominous terrorist attack. The next day at school a strangely dressed man approaches the boys, and tells them to come with him on his balloon to Imaginationland. It seems the leprachaun was right, as Imaginationland is quickly attacked by terrorists. The US government works to stop the terrorists, while Cartman works at getting Kyle to honor his ball-sucking bet. The two stories intertwine, and thus the epic trilogy is born.

In recent years, South Park had begun to be less about comedy, and more about on-the-ball social and cultural commentary. Where earlier seasons featured a few episodes of true meaning mixed in among ones purely for entertainment, since about season 7 or so, things began to shift. Imaginationland goes right back to the classic South Park formula, as there's really nothing in terms of social lessons and satire outside of their classic pop-culture pokes.

From making fun of Michael Bay to poking fun at Jesus, Trey and Matt (and special guest writer Brad Neely, best known for Wizard People, Dear Reader; The Professor Brothers; and the George Washington Rap) are on top of their game.

If you're a fan of South Park or grew up on 80s and 90s cartoons and comics, Imaginationland has it all. You'll spend lots of time pausing the DVD on the scenes filled with characters in Imaginationland, trying to figure out who you spy. (That also makes a great party game if you can find a way to make it more entertaining, I suspect.) While there are some slow periods-and some outright awkward ones where Cartman pulls a Stewie Griffin and comes off as extremely gay-in the end the arc is an entirely joyous watch, and one that any fan of South Park-past or present-will enjoy thoroughly.

As a standalone DVD, it's a little hard to justify purchase for diehard fans, as you'll probably pick up the season once it's available in stores. It's a great buy for casual likers of South Park as it provides five brilliant episodes on one disc, but if you're a fanatic like me, I'd recommend just waiting for the entire season rather than buying the same things twice.

CONTENT - 4.5/5

Three of the more memorable South Park's in recent memory, and the three greatest-period--in terms of pop-culture references. You'll be singing "Imaginayyyyy-tion!" for days and days, pissing your neighbors off so much that they may wish for an actual terrorist attack on Imaginationland. If you've ever seen a South Park and thought "That was funny!" you'll love this.

VIDEO - 4/5

It's a DVD release of a TV show, so there's nothing too remarkable here. A few lines here and there, but nothing too noticeable. All of the cameos are one of the highlights, so keep an eye out for that off-color Optimus Prime, or that guy that looks suspiciously like Mario.

AUDIO - 3/5

It's uncensored, meaning no bleeping. Much like with other South Parks, though, the uncensoring takes away from a lot of the humor. It's just not as funny when Cartman goes on a rant without the constant bleeping obscuring every other word. Maybe it's just me, but I prefer my South Park censored; it's part of the charm and humor.

EXTRAS - 4/5

The audio commentary from Matt and Trey on here is by far the most I've ever heard them do for any episodes; we're talking about 50 minutes of commentary. They talk about inspirations for the arc to what made them do it to just general observations as we watch, and it's got their usual Matt and Trey wit. In addition, the DVD also comes packaged with the Woodland Critters Christmas episode and Manbearpig. The two play a central role in the story, so that's for those of you who might not have seen them the first time around. It's only two episodes, but they're two of the best.

REPLAY - 5/5

I've watched this at least five times now. You always notice something new, and like every good episode of South Park, the humor stands up to multiple viewings quite well.

OVERALL - 4/5

Imaginationland is easily the greatest thing to come out of Matt and Trey's mind in years, and the DVD shows that. If there's one downside to the entire thing, it's that when you realize you're going to buy season 11 anyway, it almost seems like a waste of money to get it a little earlier. For casual watchers and friends who don't want to own every episode on DVD, Imaginationland is a must-buy. For the regular viewers, rent it to check it out as a feature, listen to the commentary, then wait for Season 11 to drop.

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