Movie: Jackass 3D
Release Date: Oct. 15
Grade: A
With the recent increase in 3-D films being released, audiences have been disappointed to notice that many of them use the technology as a gimmick to attract moviegoers but do not fully explore its possibilities.
Those moviegoers will be excited to see that Jackass 3D has changed all of that.
All the Jackass boys, whom audiences have grown to know and love, are back for the third cinematic installment based on the popular television series. Johnny Knoxville has returned to gallantly pilot his dim-witted brigade, which includes fan-favorites Steve-O, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn, Jason "Wee-Man" Acuna, Preston Lacy, Dave England and Ehren McGheghey.
Not since Avatar has a film used 3-D in such an interesting way. Granted, director Jeff Tremaine (Jackass Number Two) dealt with volcanoes of fecal matter rather than the sprawling landscapes of an imaginary utopian world.
Nonetheless, Jackass 3D gives fans of the popular series just what they want – stupid tricks, gratuitous male nudity and abundant bodily fluids – and thrusts it right in their faces.
What makes this film different from the rest is that while the content is much of the same from previous films, it is spectacular to look at. The opening and closing sequences of the film, shot in 3-D and in slow motion, are exciting and visually entertaining, not to mention hilarious.
Between sex toys, bodily excretions, and a swarm of angry bees coming towards viewers in all directions, audiences will be sure to be entertained by the striking visual fun of the film.
Led by the goofily enthusiastic Knoxville, the Jackass boys gained popularity in the early 2000s with their relentless willingness to put themselves through ridiculous, disgusting and often-dangerous situations in order to get a laugh.
Audiences have been returning again and again for the past ten years just to see what crazy stunts and gags the guys will bring next. Judging from their newest installment, they clearly haven't lost the enthusiasm for their work.
As with the previous two installments in the Jackass series, Jackass 3D has no plot or real narrative flow. Rather, it is comprised of a randomly strung-together series of stunts, gags and idiotic tricks that the popular band of brothers plays on each other and themselves.
Like the television series and previous films, the charm of Jackass 3D comes from the camaraderie of the now easily-identifiable crew, whose members gleefully bask in the hilarity that ensues from their various stunts and pranks.
The guys, of course, mainly target each other and seem to find equal enjoyment from their work, whether they are the victim or the perpetrator. The fact that the group seems to find so much hilarity in its own pain makes the gags that much funnier.
The film lacks a clearly delineated climax and really just continues until it ends. The gags, however, are just as raunchy and hilariously stupid as ever and will be sure to satisfy fans of the films who can't get enough of whatever the Jackass men bring to the screen.
The highlight of the film comes from a stunt lovingly entitled the "Poop Cocktail Supreme," during which Steve-O is flung repeatedly into the air by a bungee cord while inside of a porta-potty filled with dog feces.
Fans will be pleased to note that cameras are planted both inside and outside so viewers can enjoy this cinematic goldmine from every possible perspective.
It is clear that Jackass 3D is not going to be a favorite for supporters of filmmaking as an art form, but for the many loyal fans of the series, the men of Jackass have shown, once again, that they have exactly what it takes to tickle the funny bones (and gag reflexes) of audiences.
