Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Jackass 3D

March 5, 2011

I think this is the third or fourth release from this franchise I've reviewed. At this point they're blending together. The show is essentially a series of skits with Johnny Knoxville and his merry band of morons hurting themselves, either individually, collectively, reciprocally, etc. I've been dubious of the hit to miss ratio in the past, but will the addition of 3D bring out the creativity of the group?

The Movie

The bits in the movie can be broken down into four types: Gross, Mean, Athletic, and Stupid. Only the Athletic bits have a solid chance of being worth watching and include some of the best bits of the show. A few of the stupid ones can be funny, because you know the people involved knew what they were getting into before they started, but only if there is a point to them. On the other hand, the gross and the mean rarely made me laugh. In total there are about 40 bits, some of which are spread out in multiple parts (the slow motion Rocky bits, for instance). Of those, a little more than a dozen worked, even if some of those overstayed their welcome. This is actually a better hit to miss ratio that the previous two films in the franchise that I've reviewed.

Some, like the opening and closing credits, are little more than showing off 3D, but it looks cool. There are several good stunts, some of which are short (The Jet Ski and Racketball Golfing) and others are more involved (Santa Tree and Duck Hunt). A few could have worked better if they were shorter. For instance, High Five went on way too long. The variety helped a bit, but not enough and by the end I just wanted it to end so I could move on. Likewise, Buffalo Rollerskate, Lamborghini Dentistry, and Pin the Tail on the Donkey all had setups that were too long.

On the other hand, none of the hidden camera pranks worked and none of the gross out bits were funny. That's close to half the movie right there. The pain for the sake of pain ones were mixed. Tee Ball was a miss, but Electric Avenue took dedication so it's almost worthy of admiration, while The Blindside was at least somewhat athletic. Super Glue Chest Wax would have been better if they cut it down a bit.

The Memorex Parody was probably the coolest looking stunt, while the rest of the bit worked, up till the end, which was unnecessary. Speaking of unnecessary. The Dildo Cannon. While using a dildo was completely unnecessary, I will say the slow motion camera shots that resulted were very cool.

So overall, less than half the film was worth watching, but that's better than the 20% rating I gave the previous film. With that in mind, if you like Jackass Number Two, then you will likely enjoy Jackass 3D.

The Extras

There is a nearly 30-minute long making of featurette. They talk a lot about getting the old gang together, as well as the change to 3D, but much of it is just behind-the-scenes goofing around. The deleted scenes are mostly continuations of scenes from the movie, many of which were better in the cut down form. The only one that is better in the longer for is the slow motion dildo camera shots. Finally, there are nearly 30 minutes of outtakes, which is even more of the same. I guess if you loved the movie, this is great. But by the end, it worn down my endurrance.

If you want to watch it in 3D, you are going to have to watch the DVD with those red and blue glasses on.

The picture quality varies because of the different cameras used. For certain shots the camera was part of the action and you can't tack a HD camera to the handlebar of a bike, for instance, so the picture quality is greatly reduced there. On the other hand, there were many times where the image quality was superb. The audio is loud and immersive. And since it only costs $2 more than the equivalent DVD, it's clearly the better deal.

The Verdict

The hit to miss ratio for Jackass 3D continue to be a problem for me, while there's not a lot that needs to be seen in 3D. That said, it's better than the previous couple releases I reviewed, and if you are a fan of the franchise it is worth picking up. The Blu-ray / 3D DVD Combo Pack is the best deal out of the three releases, even if it doesn't have additional extras and the image quality can be mixed at times.


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Filed under: Video Review, Jackass 3D