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Mostly funny and incisive, occasionally in need of restraint

South Park creators Parker and Stone have outdone themselves with this puppet show inspired in it's appearance by the wonderful Gerry Anderson "Supermarionation" TV show from the 1960's, Thunderbirds (available on DVD if you've never seen it). However, beyond the puppets and model aircraft, this show is nothing like a Gerry Anderson kids' show. The humor ranges from making fun of poor quality movies and bad acting to slamming extreme political views on both the right and left, and does a great job throughout the entire range.

The only flaws in this film seem to come in the same area that is a problem in some episodes of South Park, which is that there is no self-restraint at all and some jokes are just crude or gross without being particularly clever or funny. However, those few scenes that left me and the rest of the audience cringing or silent were far outweighed by the ones where we laughed very loudly and for quite some time. Examples of some great moments are:

-A whole song devoted to how bad the film Pearl Harbor was, how it missed the significance of that tragic event, and what a mediocre actor is Ben Affleck.
- The awkardness of the puppets. Gerry Anderson used to go to great lengths to hide how funny it looked when the puppets walked, but Parker and Stone closely show you just how awkward the puppets are when walking and doing other human activities (e.g., having sex), to great comic effect.
- Team America is eager to do good, but they "break" a lot of stuff doing it, often doing more damage than the bad guys they are chasing.
- The song during the closing credits. It's hilarious, so be sure to stay through the credits and keep your ears open.

In spite of its flaws, this is one of the sharpest comedies to come along in a while. The DVD version is loaded with extra features including "making of" documentaries about the process used for creating and animating the puppets. Go Team!