Paramount Home Video presents

Jackass 2.5 (Unrated) (2007)

“Hello, I’m Johnny Knoxville, welcome to Jackass!”- Johnny Knoxville

Stars: Johnny Knoxville
Other Stars: Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Ryan Dunn, Wee Man, Preston Lacy, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey
Director: Jeff Tremaine

MPAA Rating: Not Rated for (crude and disturbing content, nudity)
Run Time: 01h:04m:19s
Release Date: 2007-12-26
Genre: comedy

Style Grade	Substance Grade	Image Transfer Grade	Audio Transfer Grade	Extras Grade
C	B-	B	B-	C+

 

DVD Review

The art of “double-dipping” DVDs has hit new lows recently, with most of these catalog retreads being timed to coincide with theatrical releases, be they sequels or similarly-themed projects. One of the no-brainer “double-dipping” titles was Paramount’s Jackass: The Movie and its sequel, given the existence of hours and hours of crazy stunt footage that didn’t make the cut for their theatrical releases. Therefore, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that a second release, Jackass 2.5 is available, compiling footage that wasn’t even seen in the unrated DVD for Jackass Number Two. Fortunately, there’s plenty of new stuff here to keep fans of the show and film series satisfied until the inevitable Jackass Number Three hits theaters sometime in 2008.

The usual suspects are back for more, including Steve-O, Bam Margera, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Ryan Dunn, and their ringleader, Johnny Knoxville. This time around we get more than just stunt after stunt, as interview footage about each set piece is shown before the wackiness begins. Rest assured, despite a bit more talk, there’s still plenty of these guys doing things to their bodies that no one should (consider that my “don’t try this at home” disclaimer). As long as they continue to act like the clinically insane, there will always be room for Jackass.

The surprising thing is that there’s still more great footage that, to this point, has gone unwatched. While there’s nothing here to quite top the most entertaining stuff in the unrated cut of the second movie, it’s still interesting to see what the filmmakers chose to leave out. Among the large cast, Pontius always delivers the goods, so to speak, and he’s in top form here as well. I’m not sure what it is, but anytime that guy does his party boy dance, it’s tough to look away. Whether it’s the goofiness of the dance itself, or the sheer audacity he shows in the random places he does it in, Pontius is one of this clip collection’s highlights.

There’s also some nice interview footage with many of the participants, but one can’t help but think that these discussions are simply filler to warrant a separate DVD. Still, there’s some really good stuff here, including Wee Man’s penchant for popping up out of a cooler and spraying his unlucky visitors with urine. We also see a damn funny bit involving a huge raft that instantly inflates in a tiny sports car, a great round of dizzy boxing, and one of the craziest obstacle courses/gauntlets you’ll ever witness. The challenges in Survivor can’t hold a candle to this blessed event.

This series is not without its share of gross-out or cringe-inducing moments, and there’s plenty more of that here. Many of these clips are nearly impossible to watch without being curled up in a ball, with “Human Golf Tee,” Knoxville’s visit to a Russian prostate exam clinic, and anything Steve-O does among the worst to sit through. Still, there’s no denying that this entire group of guys is passionate about what they’re doing and simply love every minute of it. Regardless of how crazy each and every one of them clearly is, we’ll never be able to avert our eyes from their antics.

Rating for Style: C
Rating for Substance: B-

 

Image Transfer

	One
Aspect Ratio	1.85:1 - Widescreen
Original Aspect Ratio	yes
Anamorphic	yes

Image Transfer Review: This 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation is nearly identical to that of the Jackass films. With much of the footage shot using handheld cameras, there’s plenty of inherent grain. Still, the images are as sharp and as detailed as possible, rendering every object easily discernable. The colors are rather drab, but, again, that is to be expected given the intentional “raw” look of the footage.

Image Transfer Grade: B
 

Audio Transfer

	Language	Remote Access
DS 2.0	English	no

Audio Transfer Review: The audio comes to us in Dolby Digital 2.0, and, like the video, is hit-or-miss given the nature of the footage. The music cues utilize the surrounds quite nicely, and crisp dialogue is well-integrated into the overall mix.

Audio Transfer Grade: B- 

Disc Extras

Full Motion menu with music
Subtitles/Captions in English with remote access
3 Other Trailer(s) featuring The Heartbreak Kid, Rob & Big: The Complete Seasons 1 & 2, Wildboyz: Complete Seasons 3 & 4
2 Documentaries
Packaging: Keep Case
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual

Extra Extras:

1. Jackassworld.com – Information on the Website
2. Photo Gallery
3. Bonus Segments

Extras Review: This decent extras collection consists of The Making of Jackass 2.5, a 23-minute piece that blends interview footage with shots from the film to tell the tale of how this new DVD came about.

The Making of Jackass the Game runs for just over 21 minutes and gives us a look at the motion-capture technology that went into the production of the video game based on the show.

There’s even more bonus footage, clocking-in at almost 49 minutes, and including a series of outtakes. Finishing things up is textual information about jackassworld.com, a photo gallery, and previews for other DVD releases.

Extras Grade: C+
 

Final Comments

Call it bonus footage from Jackass Number Two or call it a shameless attempt to milk even more money from a rabid fan base, but however you slice it, Jackass 2.5 is now on DVD from Paramount. While the audio and video serve the material just fine, there’s almost an hour of even more stunts and craziness apart from the feature presentation, making this a no-brainer for the show’s cult following.

Chuck Aliaga 2008-01-08