The Cult of Cartman: Revelations
Directed by Trey Parker
Studio: Paramount/Comedy Central
Year: 2001-2008
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 264 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo English
Subtitles: CC
MSRP: $ 26.99
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Review Date: October 3, 2008
The Presentation
4/5
Arguably the funniest of the South Park characters, Eric Cartman comes into his own with this two-disc DVD set The Cult of Cartman: Revelations featuring twelve of his most outrageous adventures. Yes, these cherry-picked episodes are among the most hilarious and obscene episodes that South Park has done during its many seasons on the air, and all have Cartman front and center spouting his own reliable brand of prejudicial venom. For fans who already have all of the South Park seasons on DVD, this might seem like an unnecessary repackaging of highlights from the series, but the producers of the set did add an episode from the as yet unreleased season twelve, there are amusing new introductions to every episode by Cartman, and even the menus have a joke or two to offer, especially if one is slow to make a selection.
“Some call me a wunderkind. Many wish to be like me. So here are my life lessons for all to follow.“ Thus begins a series of Jesus-like parables featuring everyone’s favorite obscene schoolboy Eric Cartman (Trey Parker). Among the most memorable stories from Cartman’s past are his impersonation of a robot as a trick on Butters that backfires on him, Cartman’s discovery of Tourette’s syndrome which he exploits for his own amusement, a two-episode story satirizing the Fox animated series Family Guy which Cartman (and possibly many connected to South Park) loathes, Cartman’s contracting of HIV during a routine tonsillectomy, and his inheritance of a million dollars which he uses to buy a theme park so he can be the only customer. Among the celebrities who come under the South Park satirical gun in these episodes are George W. Bush, Bart Simpson, Chris Hansen, Jesus, Jimmy Buffett, Magic Johnson, Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Carrot Top. The episodes are not arranged on the discs in chronological order, and all but one are uncensored so that every curse word and anatomical appendage can be seen and heard.
Here is the listing of episodes which are included on this two-disc set:
1 - Scott Tenorman Must Die
2 - Awesom-O
3 - The Death of Eric Cartman
4 - Cartoon Wars Part I
5 - Cartoon Wars Part II
6 - Le Petite Tourette
7 - Tonsil Trouble
8 - Eek, a Penis!
9 - Cartmanland
10 - Up the Down Steroid
11 - Super Fun Time
12 - Ginger Kids
Video Quality
3.5/5
The series’ 1.33:1 aspect ratio is faithfully rendered in these DVD transfers. The colors are bold and in many cases right on the verge of being oversaturated. Without anamorphic enhancement, there is minor pixilation and some aliasing, and there is some minor banding in some of the episodes, too. They all, however, have a sharp, clear look that’s as good or better than their broadcast versions. Each episode has been divided into 6 or 7 chapters.
Audio Quality
3.5/5
The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is decoded by Dolby Prologic IIx into a pseudo-surround track that is very appealing. Audio effects are booming and often rather startling for such a low budget enterprise, and the dialog is always clear and cleanly recorded and presented.
Special Features
1/5
There are no real special features of note. As mentioned previously, there is a disc introduction by Eric Cartman who presides over the menu selections, and there are Cartman introductions to every episode, all newly recorded and animated. The packaging is humorous as well, resembling a Bible with its faux-leather texture, gold lettering, and a mixture of modern and Old English fonts. Inside is a membership card in the Eric Theodore Cartman Society and a Cartman decal.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
Always fun for a revisit, The Cult of Cartman bundles together some outstanding shenanigans of the infamous bad boy of South Park in a handsome collectable package.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
