South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut 4K review
Jun 07, 2024- Permalink
Every time one of these anniversary releases comes out I find myself asking, “Has it really been X years?!?” So here we go again: has it really been 25 years since South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut decided to “Blame Canada?” In this South Park feature film release, Kyle, Stan, Kenny and Cartman sneak into an R-rated film by Terrence and Phillip the foul-mouthed Canadians. When they repeat the words they heard in the cinema, shocked parents decide the only solution is for the US to declare war on its northern neighbour. Meanwhile, poor Kenny dies at the beginning and uncovers a plot by Satan and his lover, Saddam Hussein, to take over the world. Ya know, normal South Park stuff. The movie skewers its targets with the aid of songs written by Trey Parker and Marc Shaiman. Paramount has just released the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut 25th Anniversary Edition on 4K and I had a chance to take a look.
The 2160p HEVC / H.265 encoded native 4K digital transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The flat animation style South Park is known for looks crisp and clear in this 4K transfer. The colour palette really pops on the primaries while the HDR gives those colours an extra depth. The black levels are deep and I didn’t notice any crushing. The transfer also has a pleasing level of film grain.
On the audio side of things, you have the choice of an English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack as well as French and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Subtitles are available for English SDH, French and Spanish. The surrounds get some light usage for effects and musical elements as does the subwoofer. It’s not an immersive powerhouse, but it’s still a nice mix with dialogue and vocals clear and centred.
The South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut 25th Anniversary Edition 4K also comes with a Blu-ray disc and a Digital code, though once again there is no code for the Canadian version. Sadly the 25th anniversary didn’t merit any new special features. The Legacy features are all on the Blu-ray disc and include a commentary by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, a music video for “What Would Brian Boitano Do?”, a sing-along version of the film and some trailers.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut 25th Anniversary Edition 4K looks and sounds really good. It’s a shame that we don’t get any new special features, but if this pushes your nostalgia button or you’re a big fan of the series, you may want to add this to your collection.