For many the Jackass franchise is a black-and-white choice between love and hate for the guys who put their bodies on the line for your enjoyment. Johnny Knoxville and co. seem to delight and revile people in equal measure with a seemingly endless series of stunts and pranks, and this latest edition, now in glorious 3D, is no different.
The advent of 3D filmmaking has clearly made its mark on the Jackass cast and crew, with the feature tailored for spectacular slow motion sequences. This stretches scenes that would otherwise only last a few seconds into legitimately hilarious montages of pain and frivolity. Some of the scenes are a throwback to the old days of silly meaningless pranks and disgusting acts, but over the last two films the lads have become increasingly grand in their ambition. While there is more money to spend through the success of the series, the Jackass ideal has stayed solid through innovative acts; at one point they start using the wind power of a jet engine.
The boys are getting older and a few of them have kids of their own now, ten years on from the first time the skull and crutches first appeared on MTV. They have appeared in Ireland recently on the red carpet and on television to promote the film, with one interviewer detailing the physical pain that just Knoxville has gone through – let’s put it this way, he’s broken a special something before.
Included in the film is a rather touching montage with home and school photos of the Jackass crew, reminding us that all of this started a long time ago with a bunch of friends and a simple idea. Jackass 3D is therefore something hugely uplifting in these difficult times and a reminder to not take life too seriously.