Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

South Park: The End of Obesity Blu-ray Movie Review

"Rich people get Ozempic. Poor people get body positivity."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown December 12, 2024

South Park just celebrated the 27th anniversary of its August 13th, 1997 debut on Comedy Central. Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny were first seen in the animated short “The Spirit of Christmas,” and from there were launched into television history. Co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone are executive producers, along with Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II. Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman are producers. Christopher Brion is the Creative Director of South Park Digital Studios.

One man. Two South Park specials. And a mission to see if the beloved show remains as audacious as ever. Which will come out on top? The End of Obesity or Not Suitable for Children? Which will bring the most laughs, the most gut busters, the most jaw drops, the most shock and awe? Which will be anointed South Park double feature champ? Let's find out as Stan, Cartmen, Kyle, Kenny, Tweak and the gang dive headlong into the worlds of medically prescribed weight loss drugs and 21st century energy drink fad-dom.

"I need to make a cereal bomb. Get me Cocoa Puffs, Cap'n Crunch, and a bucket of KFC. Hurry!"

The advent of new weight loss drugs has a huge impact on everyone in South Park. But when a distraught, tearful Cartman is denied access to the life-changing medicine -- due to it being a threat to his health -- the kids jump into action. First, though, Cartman is given semaglutide, but its cost and a prerequisite diabetes-diagnosis stops him and his mother in their tracks. Body positivity is next, courtesy of Lizzo music, but Eric can only take so much. And so Butters and Kyle venture out to the offices of Cartman's insurance company which sends them on a spiraling, labyrinthine search through the American health care system. Deterred but not defeated, Eric and his weight-loss team is joined by Stan and Kenny, the five of whom manufacture their own semaglutide, a decision that brings unintended consequences as people learn of its miraculous effects. Soon the sugar industry cartel, led by the likes of Tony the Tiger and other sugary snack and cereal mascots, engage in a Mad Maxian assault on the boys to stop them before their appetite suppressant ways infect a hungry populace. Meanwhile, a midriff-bearing Randy takes the drug himself, which produces... unintended side effects.

South Park is hilarious. You either agree or you continue to miss the joke. Sharp as razor-wire and funny as all get out, it blends social commentary with gross-out gags, multilayered plotlines, ridiculous characters and deadly on-the-nose parodies to great effect; primarily for bigger and bigger laughs, but also to leave viewers thinking. Not too shabby for an animated shocker celebrating its 27th birthday.

The End of Obesity is pure, unadulterated, deliriously classic South Park. What begins as a simple scheme poking fun at Ozempic and its magical ilk soon descends into violent, unabashed insanity as cereal mascots firing machine guns chase Randy and the kids in a big rig. It's straight out of Fury Road, Colorado style, and every reach for new heights produces funnier and funnier setups and payoffs. Randy is as lovable a dimwit as ever, Cartman earns some real empathy for once, and the rest of the boys do what they do best: gaze through the cons and distractions to spot the truth at the center of society's madness. Once detached from the inane happenings, the crew help their town see what they couldn't see, waking everyone up and returning their small corner of modern American life to something resembling normal. But its the journey, not the destination that slays here, and Cartman's weight loss is as rich a quest as any.

South Park: The End of Obesity Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

What...? I ate. Just 'cause I don't eat as much as you. Just 'cause I'm doing Pilates, working out and stuff. Sorry, I don't eat as much as you do. I'm just trying to be better. Not on drugs. Why would you even suggest that I'm doing drugs? Are you drunk?

The End of Obesity and Not Suitable for Children could easily be mistaken for sharing a disc, as their excellent 1080p/AVC-encoded video presentations are virtually identical. Colors erupt off the screen, primaries take big swings and connect, black levels are nice and inky, and contrast is spot on. Detail is as crisp and clean as you'd hope, with perfectly sharp edges and carefully resolved textures. (Take a close look at any of the "paper"-esque elements and you'll notice a faint construction-paper disposition.) Better still, there's hardly any -- if any at all -- encoding or animation issues afoot, with little to no banding and blocking to speak of. The encodes are as proficient as they are striking, and there's not much at all to gripe about.

South Park: The End of Obesity Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Don't you know, Sheila? Now there's a whole new obesity drug for those of us who can't afford Ozempic and Monjaro. I've controlled all my cravings to be thinner with Lizzo.

Likewise, both South Park specials boast strong Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless tracks. Voices are clean and clear at all times. Effects explode with aggressive low-end and rear-speaker support. And dynamics are nothing short of impressive. The LFE channel comes locked and loaded with chaotic thooms and booms, while directionality is surprisingly three-dimensional for such a two-dimensional animated show. Pans are slick, music is bright and boisterous, and every last element enhances the rollicking good time.

South Park: The End of Obesity Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

These obesity drugs are an attack on all of us. Even you, Captain Crunch. The drugs are moving in on our turf. And we'll all be in trouble soon. Trix Rabbit… Tony le Tigre… and Sugar Bear.

The Blu-ray release of The End of Obesity doesn't include any extras.

South Park: The End of Obesity Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was watching a bunch of videos online. They show how you can order raw semaglutide from a factory in India and mix your own injections for next to nothing!

The winner? The End of Obesity, by a close margin. Both discs offer nearly identical AV presentations (and unfortunately zero extras), and the specials are both hilarious at best, fairly funny at worst. Only Randy's tiresome nudist subplot in Not Suitable for Children drags it out of contention. Otherwise, the specials would likely walk away with a tie in this double feature match-up.