The clinically insane members of MTV’s Jackass return for a third round of ridiculousness. This time, the movie is more about 3D gimmicks than anything else.
I laughed, of course. So I’m not saying that the film wasn’t funny…It certainly was. But I was constantly distracted by the elements that were very unlike traditional Jackass. Because the movie was in 3D, it immediately loses its “shaky cam” look, which was one of the things that I loved so much about not only the show, but also the first two movies.
Not only that, but the amount of post-production made me sick. I could actually pick out the noises that were added to make things sound more extreme than they actually were. Every scene had them. The most apparent unrealistic sound is during “Electric Avenue.” Now, I don’t want to ruin the whole bit, but let’s just say a few people get zapped with moving camel prods. Gee, I never knew that a camel prod sounded exactly like an aluminum bat making contact with a baseball! It becomes really obvious when it happens again, and the exact same sound repeats. After that, it just becomes a game: Listen closely for sounds that don’t fit in. They’re strewn throughout.
More post-production silliness: Slow Motion. I’ll admit that for a second or two the slow motion gags were kind of cool. It gave the audience the chance to see the reaction of each Jackass member as the shtick was going down. But after one or two times, you might as well stop, because it’s just a waste of time, and in my humble opinion, could be funnier if it was in real-time.
The pacing of the film was also different than usual. There were fewer quick, random gags (and more drawn-out ones) than in all the other Jackass movies. In fact, most of the sequences could have been quick, too, but a lot of time was spent on the set up, and even more time was spent afterward watching Johnny Knoxville laugh like a hyena. And although all this extra stuff could have been cut out to make room for more skits, I do have to admit that Knoxville’s high-pitched chuckle is infectious. I think the audience laughed more because he was laughing than anything else.
I don’t want to say that this movie was bad. I laughed, I was grossed out, and at a few key points I almost had to look away. And that was ultimate intention of Jackass 3D. So in its goal, it succeeded. But it is not the same Jackass that I know and love. It lost its raw feel, that unknown something in there that always made me think: “These guys are out of their minds.” Now, I just find myself wondering how much they must all need money if they keep coming back for more.
