Jackass 2.5 Unrated
Directed by Jeff Tremaine
Studio: Paramount
Year: 2007
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 64 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 English stereo
Subtitles: English
MSRP: $29.99
Release Date: December 26, 2007
Review Date: December 22, 2007
Directed by Jeff Tremaine
Studio: Paramount
Year: 2007
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 anamorphic
Running Time: 64 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 English stereo
Subtitles: English
MSRP: $29.99
Release Date: December 26, 2007
Review Date: December 22, 2007
The Film
2.5/5
One of the great joys of reviewing DVDs is getting the chance to write about some of the true masterpieces of world cinema. In 2007, I had the privilege of viewing and commenting on such classics as Bicycle Thieves, Ace in the Hole, Woman in the Dunes, The Lady Vanishes, The Third Man, and dozens of other fine films. But there is a downside to this privilege. Sometimes one must endure something that he would otherwise never go within a thousand miles of watching on his own. Such a DVD is Jackass 2.5.
Honestly, I do understand that there would be a market for this kind of entertainment: a group of overage frat boys doing risky, gross-out stunts just for the pure joy of being outrageous, politically inappropriate, and just plain old silly. (The DVDs of the two Jackass movies must play on endless loops at most of the fraternities in this country, and I‘m sure this one will join the rotation.) And I have to admire their guts. These guys get some serious looking injuries in the line of duty, and though they sometimes balk at the stunts they’re asked to do, they usually cave in to the pressure and in the end do them.
Jackass 2.5 is basically what would have been on an outtake reel on a standard DVD release: the footage that wasn’t good enough to get into the finished film. Here, they’ve assembled the sequences in some kind of order and presented it as a finished work, often with comments from the cast members who took part in the foolishness. Because it’s unrated, you see lots of genitals, view an assortment of bodily functions, and hear lots of profanity, but if you saw Jackass Two, you’ll recognize lengthier outtake sequences here that may have played only seconds in the prior movie (the India sequence comes immediately to mind).
So what do you get for your money? I won’t spoil all of the surprises, but among the more notable stunts are King Kong on a porta-potty, slingshot meatballs, dizzy boxing, ass bead kite flying, wee matador, rattlesnake salad toss, longest fingernails beer dribble, Cajun obstacle course, mini motorcycle mayhem, and the ever popular butt bellows. Most of it ranks high on the gross meter, but it did manage to hold my interest and even fostered a few genuine laughs. Yes, all of the stars of the show are here: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Ryan Dunn, and the rest of them. The only thing I found a little off-putting is that the guys seem to enjoy their outrageousness more than anyone else. Their enthusiasm for their work is commendable, but their constant guffawing seems to take just a bit of the fun out of it for the spectator. (But, I readily admit that I’m more comfortable watching Rashomon than I am watching any incarnation of Jackass either on film or TV. I am not their target audience.)
Video Quality
3.5/5
The feature is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 transfer. Color is above average, and the image is sharp enough to serve its intended audience. While there are no glaring problems with the transfer, the appearance on the whole is a trifle on the dull side.
Audio Quality
3/5
The Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track is adequate for the material but is in no way exemplary. It gets the job done adequately. Dolby Prologic IIx put some ambient sound into the rear channels for those who care.
Special Features
3/5
“The Making of Jackass 2.5” features comments by the cast and director on how this DVD came into being. We see some of the stunts being staged and some of the actors being coaxed into doing their jobs for the movie. The anamorphic featurette runs 23½ minutes.
“The Making of Jackass the Game” is a nonanamorphic featurette running 21 minutes. We see the motion capture technology that was employed to garner video game representations of all of the show’s stars, and we watch them provide both action and vocal bits to be incorporated into the videogame.
A selection of fifteen bonus segments which didn’t make it into either Jackass Two or this outtake DVD film provide another 43½ minutes of foolishness with the guys. Among the bits that were too lame to make either cut are Wee Rider (Wee Man on a donkey), the Nair Cut (using Nair to remove a crew member’s hair), Hat Eating Horse (a real bomb), and Wolfie (the continual harassment of crew member Greg Wolf).
A photo gallery includes dozens of stills and snapshots taken during the making of the movie.
Trailers on the disc include WildBoyz, Rob and Big, and The Heartbreak Kid.
In Conclusion
2.5/5 (not an average)
Lovers of gross-out stunts and frat boy humor will relish getting more of the same with Jackass 2.5. All others beware.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
