Film Review With Sam Larner

Jackass 3D (18)

This is the new instalment in the Jackass stable. It was made for $20million which is not a lot at all considering the obscene spends of “Avatar” and “Pirates of the Caribbean”. It has already made eight times its budget and so clearly it has to be considered a major success. I will state from the very beginning that I am not a particularly big Jackass fan. I never had sky so I couldn’t see it in my youth which seems to be where most people saw it. Later when the internet made it possible to view the clips I was never very interested. I was always told by friends that it is the funniest thing they’ve ever seen and it just made me feel bad for them because clearly “Blazing Saddles” and “Airplane!” are the funniest things ever made, aren’t they?

So firstly let’s look at what’s wrong with Jackass. Firstly it doesn’t need to be in 3D it’s a complete waste and to me seems like a ploy to get those extra few pounds off of you. There is literally nothing in the film that is enhanced by being in 3D and this is a view shared by a lot of the people I’ve talked to about it. Secondly, the scenes where they do stuff to themselves and the other actors are fine however when they go out into the streets in an effort to make other people feel uncomfortable I just find it unnecessary and in the end just side with the people on the streets who to me are dealing with the situation in as good a way as you could. Lastly, this isn’t great comedy. Just in the same way as shouting boo in a horror movie doesn’t make it a great scary movie. Hitting someone with a big hand is funny but it isn’t comedy. I do realise how snobby that sounds by the way.

Despite all this I must admit that I saw this on a Friday night and as an hour and a half of mindless entertainment goes this ranks very highly. It was a lot of fun from start to finish and I laughed at least the required seven times. Watching people throw themselves off things and into other things is funny to watch. Especially when it seems like they’re having a good time doing it makes it even better. It may be the high budget version of “You’ve been framed” but everyone knows that was the show you watched if your tea was a little bit late and “Final Score” had finished, and everyone knows it was a very funny show. I winced through Jackass however I also laughed sometimes uncontrollably and that is what you want. Would I watch it again? Of course and you know what I would probably laugh again.

Sam's Star Review: ****

Next Week – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1