Directed By Jeff Tremaine

Starring – Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius

The Plot – After eleven years, the Jackass crew returns for their final crusade.

Rated R for strong crude material and dangerous stunts, graphic nudity and adult language throughout

jackass forever trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

In its fourth and rumored final installment in the 22-year franchise, the crew returns a little older, but none the wiser with a book-ended coda chapter sure to satisfy fans and pack one hell of a thunderous punch for one of the best theatrical experiences of the year. This begins and ends with the magnitude of the stunts themselves, which are not only some of the most dangerous that this ragtag group of buddies have ever attempted, but also the kind providing lineage to the previous films, which here serve just as much importance as the contemporary sequel in any series. This certainly brings forth an air of familiarity in the designs and constructs of their various concepts, but the elevated stakes and evolving ingenuity provide a fresh take on their meaningful rehashing’s and keep each reiteration from ever feeling repetitively stale in the trigger-happy memory of its hardcore fanbase. Among them, no vital organ or rating-testing limit goes uncrossed, producing an effort that is every bit crude in juvenile humor as it is dangerous in talent vulnerability, which is made all the more evident with the obviousness in aging from this once invincible ensemble. Among them this time, it is Steve-O and Danger Ehren who supremely steal the show, putting their minds, bodies, and circumstantial trusts on the line for some of the most visceral and humiliating payoffs that never failed to earn a chuckle from the inner child within me that took pleasure in the performance of their pain. There’s also a passing of the torch to an entirely new class of six fresh-fished cast members looking to provide their own stamp on the meaningful franchise, including Poopies (Yes, you read that correctly) and Zach Holmes, who steal the show with their eager infectiousness that provides something all the more endearing to the dynamic of this long-lasting band of brothers. On that concept, the film is also surprisingly one of the more emotional embodiments than we’re typically used to, with a reflection over the past 22 years by the crew, as well as a post-credits memoriam to fallen brother Ryan Dunn serving as the metaphorical musician tugging at the heartstrings on the air of inevitability that all but certifies this as the final goodbye for the iconic personalities, and for its fresh-faced new additions providing the inspiration for why they may just keep it all running for many years to come.

NEGATIVES

Most surprisingly this time around, Tremaine’s often-dependable direction underwhelms in a majority of stunt depictions, costing many vital payoffs tremendously with a near-absence of gratifying intensity. This certainly makes many of the skit climaxes fall flat in the reactions they garner but creates an even bigger problem for us the audience, in that the clarity of its depiction, whether in compromising camera angles or rudimentary editing, isn’t always as clear and concise as a film this simplistic requires, and only made evident with the crutch of slow-motion repeats providing answers to what we missed in the real time capture of conflict. Because much of the previous film, “Jackass 3D” over-stylized the visuals with an air of three-dimensional detectability providing something freshly unique that upped the bar in presentation for Jackass for the time, the reduction here feels underwhelming to say the least, sacrificing the immersive appeal of Tremaine’s experimental vision for a presentation that feels more choreographed than ever before. In addition to this, the imbalance of the on-screen talent, primarily in the new additions, never fills the evidential gap left behind from Dunn and controversial former member Bam Margera in their absences. Beyond the aforementioned duo of Poopies and Holmes earning their place in the terrifying highs of this group, the rest of the newbies never appear on-screen long enough to solidify their unique personalities. This is most traumatic for Rachel Wolfhard, the group’s first female member, whose involvement in only two stunts is not only disappointing for females in the audience seeking reflection in concepts themselves, but also provides emphasis for the limitations in her that never fully justify her appearance in the film. Finally, as to where previous films had that one stunt near the end of the film that easily stood out as the most memorable of that installment, the lack of one here is all the more impactful in providing what I feel is the weakest installment of this inevitably praised quadrilogy. There’s certainly argument to be made in certain stunts leaving a permanent lasting impression on the bodies of their talent, but never anything that stretched the limits of creativity or anything that gave “Terror Taxi”, “Butt X-Ray” or “Poo Cocktail Supreme” a run for its money in terms of originality or peaking hilarity. It keeps the build from ever evolving and expanding naturally in the way that preserves the biggest stunts till the end of the feature, giving us a flawed pecking order in pacing that never finds its magnetic rhythm, despite the air of its comedic consistency.

OVERALL

“Jackass Forever” is a hilariously nostalgic final chapter for its battle-tested personalities, who endure more bodily fluid and repetitious shots than even their hardcore audience were expecting. While not the personal best of the franchise, due in part to some flawed direction and inconsistency in returns among the fresh faces, the film is still a much-welcome installment full of chaotic carnage and undeterred resiliency that solidifies meaning in the corresponding friendships that built a revolution and changed the face of camcorder capabilities forever.

My Grade: 7/10 or B-