Oh, "South Park." The number of television shows that have made such a considerable impact on popular culture as the two-dimensional adventures of four foul-mouthed fourth graders could probably be counted on two hands. And after 10 years of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and the short-lived Kenny, is there a better time than now to release a "greatest hits" DVD of the best shows?
For those who either don't watch cable television or have lived in a soundproof cave for the past decade, "South Park" is a show that seemingly has no lines left to cross. But boy, is it funny. Animated with a combination of stop-motion frames and construction paper, "South Park" consistently challenges and satirizes social norms, pop culture and current events in its own colorful way with an unrelenting zeal that has kept its bite more consistent than many other comedies on television.
"South Park: The Hits Volume 1" attempts to commemorate a decade of the show with a collection of the best "South Park" episodes to play on television. There's quite a varied selection of episodes, with everything from "Trapped in the Closet," the show's controversial satire on Scientology, to "Scott Tenorman Must Die!" where Cartman exacts revenge on a prankster older boy by particularly, well, creative means.
There aren't many DVD collections that can honestly claim to have "all of the good ones." "South Park: The Hits Volume 1" isn't one of them. Sure, it's got some of the memorable episodes, and a good portion of the episodes are flat-out hilarious. But a couple of the additions are duds ("Casa Bonita," for example, does not make for enjoyable repeat-watching) and a few episodes beg why they are so important. A "greatest hits" DVD should have the greatest and most remarkable moments from a series, not a jumble of some funny episodes.
Just like any other DVD set, "The Hits" has its share of special features. There's commentary on every episode from the creators of the show, providing some background into each episode (just in case someone wanted to know). But the bulk of the features are in the bonus four episodes included on the second disc. It's not told why they had to be bonus episodes and not included with the regular selection. The set also includes the original "South Park" short, "The Spirit of Christmas," in which a badly animated Jesus battles a badly animated Santa Claus. It's rather antiquated and it's only really worth watching if the intention is to be a "South Park" scholar.
The set really is a good collection of episodes that will provoke laughter and probably some disgust. If you have an interest in "South Park" and just want to waste a few afternoons by laughing at a good selection of the smart yet vulgar series, this set may find its way into your DVD collection. However, if you're searching for a true "Greatest Hits" of the series, keep looking.
