South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid, 2021.
Written and Directed by Trey Parker & Matt Stone.
Featuring the voice talents of Trey Parker, Matt Stone, April Stewart, Mona Marshall, Kimberly Brooks, Adrien Beard, Delilah Kujala, and Betty Boogie Parker.
SYNOPSIS:
In the year 2061, the boys from South Park must travel back in time in a bid to prevent Covid from ever happening. An unexpected face from the past also returns to lend a hand.
When it was announced that Trey Parker and Matt Stone had signed a deal to produce 14 movies/specials for Paramount +, a lot of fans, myself included, were skeptical. The most recent season of the show had felt a little repetitive, relying too much on Randy Marsh’s Tegridy Farms to land the laughs. This skepticism has been fairly quickly set aside though, with the early specials, including the most recent South Park: Post Covid turning out to be a welcome return to form.
South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid is the sequel to that title, released less than a month before. Following on from the events of the first, the boys, now in their 40s, must head back in time in an attempt to prevent Covid from ever happening in the first place.
We pick up exactly where the last episode left off – with Kyle and Stan heading out to find Kenny’s assistant – Victor Chaos. Of course, anyone with any existing knowledge of South Park will instantly make the link between Chaos and Butters, and the development of the character is hilarious. It also features a fantastic takedown of NFTs and Cryptocurrencies which becomes one of the movie’s best recurring gags.
In Post Covid, we saw that Cartman had turned to Judaism and was married with three children. In a clever twist, he is set on going back in time, realising that it will take all of that away from him and chances are, he will just end up being the same antagonist he always was. This puts a new take on Kyle and Cartman’s long-standing rivalry and actually leads to one of the saddest endings in recent memory for one of the characters.
What is so surprising about the movie is the amount of heart it has. Parker and Stone are known for their biting satire, but as they have shown in their previous Covid-related episodes and movies, they are also capable of being incredibly understanding and sympathetic. At its core, The Return of Covid is a movie about friendship and about letting people off the hook. It is a reminder that the times we live in are difficult and that people can sometimes make mistakes because of that.
Of course, it is also very funny. The first Post Covid movie had its moments but Parker and Stone are on top form here, with the movie being packed with some great ongoing gags. The two take on everything from Amazon to NFTs with great results. Randy and his Tegridy farm are still kept quite close to the main plot but he is not run into the ground as he has been in the past. The relationship between Stan and Randy is also developed for the first time in a very long time, bringing some humanity to the character.
South Park Post Covid: The Return of Covid built on everything that the first movie set the table. It is a funny, and surprisingly poignant assessment of the world we have found ourselves living in and is one of the best pieces of South Park that Parker and Stone have put together in some time.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Liam Hoofe
