Out this week in cinemas is the latest, and possibly last, entry in the Jackass film franchise, welcome to Jackass: Best and Last. Starring all the usual suspects, Jackass: Best and Last is not only a supposed endpoint for the Jackass franchise, it is also a fond farewell to us fans who have been with the lads for over 2 decades.
The film opens with a supposedly never-before-seen prank by a very young Johnny Knoxville. He is playing Russian Roulette with a loaded gun pointed directly at his chest. He is wearing a Kevlar vest and, for good measure, some nudie mags as protection. As he rattles off empty chamber after empty chamber, there is a palpable sense of dread, and then, when he finally shoots himself, you feel the immediate rush of him surviving this incredibly stupid act. This was the genesis of Jackass, and it was thrilling.
We’ve been here before
The main thrust of Jackass: Best and Last is that the lads are now definitely too old for this. How do they circumvent this? Simple, they showcase a plethora of unseen footage, Johnny getting arrested for pretending to be an escaped convict, as well as giving anecdotes on previous iconic moments in the series and films. It works, for the most part. Having been the generation that came up with Jackass, this was a surprisingly bittersweet experience.
And that is how best to describe Jackass: Best and Last, an experience. I laughed a lot, looked away in horror, and even teared up once or twice. These were the cool, insane kids in secondary school that we all idolised, and now they’re too tired, too broken to continue on. It’s a surprising emotion to feel going into a Jackass film.
Which brings me to the main problem with Jackass: Best and Last. We did all this already in Jackass Forever. It is a far superior film that tackled all the same elements while also giving us new iconic moments to enjoy with our friends. With this film, it feels like a victory lap and less a film. There are far fewer new pranks, and that’s a real shame. I do get it, though, the lads are nowhere near as durable as they once were, and the new blood introduced in Jackass Forever can’t carry the franchise.
Jackass: Best and Last is ironically titled because it is definitely not the best, and it is probably not the last. It is still a fun time with friends on a night out, though.
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