Release Date: December 26th, 2007
Running Time: 64 minutes

The Film

I always found Jackass to be something completely ridiculous, but special nonetheless. It provided the sick pleasure of watching other people torture themselves with intricate gags and pranks solely for your giggles. The crew was a rag-tag compilation of the ultimate pranksters taken from the skateboarding subculture. Two movies and a television series later, the Jackass crew had little left to prove. Unfortunately with the release of Jackass 2.5 I can’t help but feel they tainted their image, trading gags for gross-out moments that are sure to turn off even the most ardent fan.

I have been a fan of the people involved with Jackass long before the show came to fruition. I remember back when Bam Margera’s crew had their cKy films and Jeff Tremaine debuted Johnny Knoxville in the Big Brother skate videos. It was true, amateur, backyard goofiness mixed with incredible skateboarding. Soon enough the crews merged and collaborated, with a much bigger budget, to make Jackass. Restricted only by their imagination, the crew found new ways to screw with each other and unsuspecting strangers, often with hilarious results. Sure there were plenty of moments that fell flat, but the moments that did work were classic.

Jackass 2.5 retains none of the qualities that made the other movies so successful. There were literally only two moments that made me laugh: one where everyone crashed remote controlled planes into Preston who was painted like a fat King Kong, and another where Ehren McGhehey tested out a bed of nails. Nearly every other moment in the film focuses on scatological humor that is repulsive, most of it involving Bam and his bodily orifices. I say this after having seen every other skit these guys have put together and laughed all the way through. This is the first time where I’ve actually been disgusted by their antics. These seem like sketches that were never meant for the public to see, shot only for their own amusement. I’m not judging them at all, to each their own, but these skits are just more than I’d care to see. If you find tying a kite to some anal beads and trying to fly it a revelation of genius, then maybe you’ll have some laughs here. If not, please trust me and skip this one. It put a tarnish on the Jackass crew that I won’t be able to forget anytime soon.

The DVD

The video is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Put together from a number of different digital source materials, the footage is clear enough but retains a constant rough feel. Due to the gross out nature of the film, I actually wish I saw less detail.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with English subtitles. The stereo track does its job with clear dialogue and balanced effects/music.

The Extras

“The Making of Jackass 2.5” is a 24-minute piece compiling interviews as well as behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes from the film. If you’ve ever seen any of their behind-the-scenes pieces, then you know what to expect.

“Bonus Segments and Stunts” is a whopping 45 minutes of even more footage. Honestly, after sitting through the film I couldn’t bear to watch any more.

“The Making of Jackass The Game” is a 21-minute piece regarding the crew’s input on the video game. This is a throwaway piece since the game is already out and on previous generation consoles so it is outdated by now.

Lastly, Photo Galleries and Previews are offered.

Final Thoughts

Jackass 2.5 departs from the time-tested goofball formula and focuses instead on moments meant to simply test your tolerance. There may be an audience for this, I’m just not a part of it. It’s a little sad because this is the first time I have ever had to say that about Jackass related material.