"Jackass 3-D" hits theaters nationwide Friday.
Audiences will never think, “Better him than me” more times in 94 minutes than while watching “Jackass 3D.”
Johnny Knoxville and company are back for a third time in the “Jackass” debauchery, and this time everything seen before in the previous “Jackass” collection will now be protruding out into the audience.
There is no shortage of hearty pranks, see-what-happens absurdity and vomit-inducing stunts in the latest installment. The opening scene elicits laughter almost immediately as the crew parades in a dreamy, cloud-filled scene in random and nonsensical costumes. The 3D takes over from there while sex toys are shot out of cannons and hit the guys in the face.
What makes “Jackass 3D” different from its predecessors is the super-slow-motion effect combined with 3D. For the less cynical, it is actually quite interesting. Take, for example, Bam Margera coming up to his fellow daredevils intermittently throughout the movie with a water bottle and a single, over-sized punching glove. Unbeknownst to his victims, Margera splashes water in their face and punches them immediately after. The ripple of flesh is mystifying—and then back to stunts that involve ingesting others’ bodily fluids.
For those with weak constitutions, it may be best to put the popcorn down and grab a sick bag. And those who are uncomfortable seeing naked men—a lot—would be better off bringing an eye mask.
There are typical stupid stunts: Steve-O and Dave England play tetherball with a beehive in tighty whities and fuzzy bear heads and Weeman follows around Preston Lacy like his mini-me. There are stunts that provoke wincing before they even take place, like Johnny Knoxville dressing up like Santa Claus, climbing a tree on a snow-topped mountain and having someone cut down the tree with a chainsaw.
For PETA lovers, stunts with a buffalo, pig and ram may be irritating. Full disclosure: No animals were harmed by the making of this film. It’s Knoxville, Steve-O, Preston Lacy and Ryan Dunn who are still mentally and physically recovering.
What may work best for them this time around are the harmless, slap-your-knee pranks such as the “high five” that they play on each other. A spring-loaded giant hand surprises Margera while he’s carrying flour and knocks him to the floor. It’s undeniably funny every time.
Instead of so much crude material, a wider audience may be available if they had chosen to include more of the stunts that simply induce laughter, not gagging.
“Jackass 3D” doesn’t try to be anything it’s not and hasn’t been before. It is stupid, crude and hilarious, plain and simple.
For CU Independent’s exclusive interview with the cast, click here.
The chaos comes to theaters Friday.
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Taylor Coughlin at Taylor.coughlin@colorado.edu.
