Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Jackass 3.5

June 11, 2011

Jackass 3.5 - Buy from Amazon: DVD or Blu-ray

As is the norm for the Jackass franchise, after each movie is made, they release a semi-sequel based on the skits that were considered too weak for the theatrical release. So are there some hidden gems in Jackass 3.5, or were they wisely cut from Jackass 3D.

The Movie

According to the scene selection menu, there are 40 bits to be found here, and like the previous movies / TV show, they can be divided into four groups: Gross, Mean, Athletic, and Stupid. In my opinion, the Athletic ones are the best and have the greatest chance at being entertaining. There were a few stunts that I categorizes as Stupid where some others might has called them Athletic, simply because in my calculation, the odds of success were too low (Blowback). Or the stunt went so poorly that the result felt more exploitative than a display of athleticism (Doo Doo Drop). On a side note, if you hit your head so hard that you lose control of your bowels, you really need to go to the hospital immediately. You likely have a very serious concussion.

Some of the non-athletic bits that worked include Phantom Camera, which is a super slow-motion camera and the Jackass team got some great shots, some of which are in the Gross or Mean categories. These include a lot of people being hit in the face (and other body parts) with various objects, and some full-frontal male nudity, but seeing it in super-slow motion makes it almost artistic. Invisible Wee is a prank, and while most of these are just mean, this one is well done. Bombs Away is the Coke + Menthos experiment done Jackass style, and it's quite fun to watch. Electric Limbo is a Limbo contest with an electric bar. It's mostly stupid, but seeing Jason Acuna walk under the bar like a boss was funny. Some of Pontius Penis was funny, and the same is true with Priya Pranks.

Some of the athletic stunts that I liked were Barrel Surfing, which was trying to surf on rolling barrels. That takes skill to pull off. Slip 'n' Bowl was part human bowling, and part paintball prank. The camera angles from the remote control helicopter were cool. Snow Tubing was a series of ski jumping stunts that were varied enough and fast enough to never overstay their welcome. Drywall Drop-In had Bam trying to skateboard through several sections of drywall, and it went better than expected. There were a number of stunts involving Treadmills, and like Snow Tubing, the variety helped. Jason Acuna stares down a bull with only a Yoga Ball to defend himself. The finally stunt I liked was Ballway. In this bit, they filled a hall with tons of balls and tried to surf on it. Most did quite well, but it ends on a serious hit. The movie ends with Nuts Shots, which involves people throwing basket balls and hitting other people in the nuts. This would normally be very stupid, but the shots are impressive. If they were doing the same shots but hitting actual baskets, it would have been extremely athletic. (Although, Johnny Knoxville admits it sometimes took hours to get a single shot on camera, so it's less skill then persistence.)

As for the bits that didn't work, it's pretty much everything else. Even being generous and throwing in marginal cases like Magna Goggles, that's still only 16 hits out of 40 bits. I only vaguely remember Jackass 3D, but looking back at the review 40% is actually an improvement.

The Extras

Jackass: The Beginning is a 41-minute featurette about the very beginning of the show. There are a lot of stories about how the crew got together, plus rare behind-the-scenes footage and fans should enjoy it. Up next are 16 minutes of deleted scenes, but the hit to miss ratio is lower than the main program. The same is true of the 20 minutes of outtakes. Finally there is a featurette on the European tour.

The film is also coming out on Blu-ray, but at the moment it's a Best Buy exclusive, so I wasn't able to get a screener. Maybe when it gets a wide release that will change.

The Verdict

If you are not a fan of the previous films or the TV series that spawned them, then Jackass 3.5 won't change your mind. On the other hand, if you are a fan, then the DVD will be worth picking up. I'm not sold on the idea that the Blu-ray is worth the extra cash, but without a screener I can't say for sure.


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Filed under: Video Review, Jackass 3.5