The Jackass series is an odd one. For every critic who calls it vile and idiotic, you can find one who calls it hilarious and brilliant. The truth of the matter is, Jackass is all of those things. It’s vile and idiotic, yet that’s what makes it hilarious and brilliant. It’s not for everyone, and that saying couldn’t ring any truer. In fact, Jackass probably isn’t even for most people. But if you can take it, you’re in for a treat. The boys have returned for a third outing and they’re bringing you their crazy antics in 3D. With the film now out on Blu-Ray, we take a look at it and give you the verdict on how this wild, outrageous and over the top film turned out.
Ok, so for those who aren’t familiar with the series I’ll try to explain it in the simplest way possible. Jackass has no plot, no story, no overarching theme. Nothing connects, no one scene relies on another. It’s essentially just one scene after another with no relation between any of them. Each scene showcases a particular stunt that the gang attempts. These aren’t always just stunts in the sense of action and danger. Very often they’re crude, disgusting, ludicrous, vomit inducing and absolutely idiotic, but they still remain imaginative, for the most part.
The Jackass crew knows no boundaries. Their stunts test the limits of both the human body and the human gag reflex. Expect nudity, gross out humour, violence, extremely offensive content and a couple of things that you simply would hope to never see again. Let’s just say the Sweatsuit Cocktail and the Lamborghini Toothpull are things that should never happen. And don’t think too hard, those are both exactly what they sound like.
Click to continue reading our Jackass 3D theatrical review.
When it comes to the Blu-Ray, Paramount has opted to do something different, and rather interesting. Instead of offering a 3D Blu-Ray version, they have included the normal Blu-Ray version on the disc and a classic 3D version. What I mean by classic 3D is that unlike other 3D Blu-Rays, that offer true 3D that can only be played on 3D televisions, classic 3D means that any TV can display the film in 3D and all you need is 3D glasses, which the disc comes with.
Now while it’s a neat idea, giving people without 3D televisions the chance to watch in 3D, it does have some problems. For one, the 3D looks awful. It wasn’t great in theatres but it’s even worse here. The depth and dimensionality of it is really poor. Also, the disc only comes with 4 sets of glasses, so if you have 5 people watching, you’re out of luck. Lastly, the glasses are pretty uncomfortable and gave me a headache. If you’re going to watch it, just watch the Blu-Ray version, forget about the 3D. There is also an unrated cut included here but like most unrated cuts these days, it really doesn’t add much, especially considering the film is already pretty extreme.
Aside from that, the Blu-Ray isn’t too bad. Sharp detail is evident throughout and the image often carries a nice glossy look. Colours are bright and skintones look fairly accurate. Contrast is hit or miss and seeing as the film was shot on a number of different cameras, some will look better than others. On the audio front things sound great, especially the music. It’s crisp and energetic, always making things more exciting. Sound effects from various stunts all punctuate through the speakers wonderfully and dialogue is reproduced with great clarity. Aside from the crummy 3D, the disc looks and sounds pretty good.
Special features include:
- The Making of Jackass 3D
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Jackass 3D Theatrical Trailer
- D-Box compatibility.
- DVD/Digital Copy Disc:
The making of feature is essentially just a behind the scenes look at the cast and crew fucking around on set. It really doesn’t show the making of anything but it’s still a very funny feature. We get to see them messing about and just having a good time. There is a bit of ‘making of’ material here but not much. That being said, I did still enjoy it. The rest of the features you can either take or leave, nothing significant.
So at the end of the day, the film really has no middle ground. You either love it or are repulsed by it. But then again, the filmmakers behind the movie obviously had this in mind and they probably revel in the negative reviews as much as they do in the positive. The film is meant to shock and offend. But if you can take it, you’re in for a good laugh. The disc itself looks and sounds good enough, aside from the crummy 3D version, and the special features are limited but still somewhat acceptable for a film of this nature. Bottom line, if you’re a Jackass fan this is a must buy, if you’re not or if you’ve never seen a Jackass film, proceed with caution.
