Paramount+ has arrived here in the UK at long last. So to celebrate, I will be looking at a few of their original films and TV shows. The first of which has us pay a visit to a mountain town full of foul mouthed kids. Yep long after their feature film came out, we now have three more South Park films with more on the way. What will those boys get up to this time, you may ask. Well they are tackling Covid, time travel and streaming. Sounds interesting and a recipe for disaster, so let's take a look:
Post Covid
Set 40 years into the future, the pandemic is slowly coming to an end. Stan Marsh (reprised by co-creator Trey Parker) is now an online whisky consultant who has moved away from South Park and lives with a sentient Amazon Alexa (voiced by Delilah Kujala). One day, he receives a call from Kyle (reprised by co-creator Matt Stone), now their old school's guidance counselour who informs him that once again, Kenny (also reprised by Stone) has died. This leads to, pretty much everyone from school that knew him, coming back to South Park where most of the adults now live in a highly secure old folks home and a few old wounds get bought up as the gang figure out what to do. All of which could be tied to the pandemic in some way. You know, as a film that is somehow part of the show's 24th season (even though much of that season feels like a set of specials if nothing else), this is pretty good. Seeing a world that isn't too far off from what our future looks like and just seeing future versions of the characters we have come to know, love, loath and hate. Obviously leading to something later down the line, but pretty good. 9/10
The Return of Covid
Picking up from the last film, a flashback reveals that the boys once tried to blackmail Heather Williams (voiced by Betty Boogie Parker) into having them attend a Denver Nuggets game. But this ultimately failed and led into a series of events that would eventually see Tegridy Farms burn to the ground, putting Stan at odds with his father Randy (reprised by Parker) and resulting in the tragic demise of Shelly and Sharon (both reprised by April Stewart). Back in the future, South Park is put under quarantine due to a new Covid variant while all the characters work to solve Kenny's riddle to change the past. For better or for worse for many of them. That's all I can say without revealing too many spoilers and honestly, it's a good pay-off. It does feel like they are going all
Avengers: Endgame on the whole time travel thing, and it does try to throw in a lot of complications and sub-plots. But as a part 2 film, it's alright. 8/10
The Streaming Wars
Returning to the present and just past the end of season 25, ManBearPig (reprised by Stone) has returned and has been the cause of a large drought in Denver. With the need of water being at an all-time high, the water commissioner (voiced by Parker) pays a visit to Randy (who is being referred to as Karen) and Steve Black (reprised by Adrien Beard) to check their respective farms' water supplies. Both Steve and Randy realize the potential for literal streaming services and set out to sell their water supply to the people of Denver with help from Tolkien (also reprised by Beard) and Stan. Meanwhile, Cartman sets about getting his mum some breast implants in an attempt to be out of their new home (a hot dog stand) and into a more wealthy home. I like that in this film, there are references to the seriously big amount of streaming services out there (ironic in a way considering this is on one itself) and even poking fun at the whole Karen craze too. The Cartman side story does feel like a distraction from the major story here, but still funny as always. Yep, another great story from South Park. 8/10
So although there are more on the way, I like what we have seen so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing more. Because these films are starting to feel like the show is back on top in terms of content and what have you. 8/10
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