Review of Jackass: The Movie (Widescreen)

Introduction

Having only recently become a total Jackass fanboy, what with the frequent MTV screenings and all, I was kind of bummed out to learn there`d be no further exploits from our favorite gang of idiots. That`s right, after three highly successful seasons, and many disputes over censorship issues, both parties decided to bring the show`s relatively short life to an end. It seemed never again would we witness Johnny Knoxville leading his troops into all kinds of crazy & hilarious antics, whether it be Party Boy prancing around in public wearing nothing but a thong, or Steve-O generally finding new & inventive ways to torture himself. Jackass was dead. Of course that`s never the case when you`ve got such a money-making franchise, and Hollywood caught on & obviously couldn`t resist the box-office potential of this rather cheaply put together series. So Jackass the Movie opened in the U.S, and sure enough it hit the gold-mine, and there`s now inevitable talk of a sequel.

Video

Jackass never looked so damn good! Shot on 16 mm film by the indy film-makers, and brought to us in 1.85.1 anamophic widescreen, it`s a quite magnificent job from Paramount. The image is sharp & crisp, with just a few moments of pixelation flawing this from being as good as it could have been. Even though it has the same crew behind the lens as always, the movie has a less `amateur` feel to it, as the camera-work is two or three notches up from that of the TV series.

Audio

The soundtrack is trash, but because you`re laughing so damn hard at what you`re watching, the music really isn`t a factor here. Jackass is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and does generally come heavily from the front. The dialogue is clear, as is the punk music. Presentation was never really a concern for me when I was thinking about buying this movie. However it was Paramount`s concern, and they`ve done a great job & took Jackass to a whole new level from its MTV days.

Features

The commentary tracks are pure gold. Ok, there`s a few pauses here & there, which you wouldn`t expect from a bunch of jokers like these guys, but the insight provided is VERY funny. There`s all kinds of tales which they tell on the filming of the movie, and that coupled with the events on-screen, will have you with one big ass grin on your face.

There`s extra footage! I was quite hyped about as to what this might be, but was quite let-down in the end. There`s 30 minutes worth here, and although does provide a few chuckles (including more of Steve-0 jumping through ceiling fans), it doesn`t even come close to the humor-factor of the footage in the movie.

Of course, there`s the customary `making of` addition also, and it`s about as crazy as you could imagine it being. These guys would just literally turn-up on location & fish around for props they could use to comical effect, man this just rules!

Andrew W.K`s `We want fun` music video is total & utter garbage, I mean REALLY awfully bad! It`s basically a video they shot when the film wrapped, and you can see the whole Jackass crew partying like naughty college boys!

Conclusion

Pant-wetingly funny. I haven`t laughed this hard since Meet the Parents, this movie is just pure comedy genius! I seriously don`t know why the audience is split on this one, either way Jackass will give you some type of reaction, whether it being tears of laughter or cringing in disbeleif! There`s really some crazy stuff in this movie! Granted, some of the stunts on-show don`t come off as they`re meant, and end up going nowhere, but man, there`s just so much here to love, especially for fans of the series. The presentation aspect is upto standards, and the extra features make this title worthy of its special edition tag. If you`re not totally humorless, or if you dont think you`re too intellectual for this kind of thing, then I can`t urge you strongly enough to BUY THIS DISK!