Jackass 3D

Yes, a review of something which is still in cinemas. It feels like a revelation to me too. Without further ado, here's my Jackass 3D review presented in eye and wallet-friendly 2D.

Jackass 3D (2010)

 I'm sick of hearing myself talking about 3D. I trot out the same points so often it's become second nature to complain about the elevated prices and general crapness of it all. However, I was excited when I heard about Jackass 3D. Why? Well, 3D is a gimmick, not a new and exciting filmmaking technique and it should be treated as such. The Jackass films aren't really films per se, just feature length opportunities to see grown men injuring themselves. A marriage between the two made sense to me. Plus, I was certain I'd see things done with 3D that I wouldn't see (or want to see, for that matter) anywhere else.

"Hello, I'm Johnny Knoxville. Welcome to Jackass!"

Well, there's no plot really, but it'll be a familiar set up to anyone who has caught any of the anarchic TV show or two previous films. Basically, it's a bunch of man-children running about playing pranks, doing stunts and injuring themselves and others on a very regular basis. There's something really pure about the slapstick stuff on display here. The ideas behind the pain are often just shy of ingenious and the anticipation before a prank/stunt is often just as funny as the pay-off. The "High Five"skit is a great example of this. The 3D itself is good, but not really needed. Both the intro and ending are 3D eye-candy but most of the rest would work just as well in normal-o-vision. Having said that, this is probably the only 3D title that will ever contain people vomiting, shitting and pissing in three dimensions.

You can't really analyse Jackass. You either find it funny or you don't. Luckily, I do find it funny and laughed throughout. My face hurt by the time we left the cinema. Every so often I keep remembering certain skits and smiling to myself. One of my favourites was "Electric Avenue"- a small corridor filled with a live tasers and spinning cattle prods, in which the Jackasses have to run the electric gauntlet dressed in prison outfits, all set to that Eddie Grant song that Currys ruined. Even when the skits sometimes look a bit laugh-free like "Ram Jam"- where Steve-O and Ryan Dunn, dressed in marching band attire, attempt to pacify a ram by playing some brass instruments, they can still turn out to be great.

Jackass isn't all about the slapstick buffoonery though. Chances are that you'll spend as much time gagging as you will giggling. The "Sweat Suit Cocktail" bit made me gag several times between guffaws- same goes for the fantastic "Poo Cocktail Supreme", which whilst disgusting, is definitely one of the film's highlights. I get the feeling that people unintiated to the whole Jackass thing may find the stunts amusing, but will draw the line at fecal matter. However, Jackass has been around for about a decade now, so I suppose most people will know what to expect.

"Oh God, why do I have to be Steve-O?"

So, Jackass 3D is very good. It would have worked in 2D, but the 3D does add a welcome additional layer of ridiculousness. When it comes down to it, I laughed much more watching Jackass 3D than I have at any recent comedy film. However, as good as it is, it still wasn't worth £9.35 per ticket (£10.35 if you didn't bring your own pair of 3D specs). Still, it's one of the only 3D films I'd recommend that you see, which marks it out from the rest of the pack.