I kind of prefer to be a little late to the party when it comes to new releases, particularly if they are sequels to already established franchises where expectations are already high and opinions are thrown around endlessly due to the high anticipation. These opinions are often conflicting as of late given the sheer amount of franchised releases as Hollywood dumbs down and loses much of its creativity. I find I enjoy films once the public's general reception has died down and it is no longer the world's favourite subject.
I have to say: I think I made the best decision with Jackass Forever. I recall the general reception being rather negative for a large number of reasons. Perhaps much of its audience had grown up and no longer found the concepts funny, or they disliked the typical 'passing of the torch' style many of these modern franchise releases pursue now that the original cast have aged. But I did notice that much of the public's reaction to the film was rather negative.
I didn't pay any attention to the trailers or reviews, and I ignored any clips I saw on the Internet from the film. This wasn't intentional, I think I just wasn't that interested in the film at the time as well. Though, I feel my lack of interest at the time has resulted in a much more enjoyable experience. Jackass Forever was something I enjoyed, and felt wasn't all that different to the original stuff. Even at the age of 27, I guess my own humour and childish ways haven't changed. I still find people getting hurt doing stupid things funny, and I still enjoy the same punk genre of music that was often accompanying such images.
Jackass Forever
Jackass Forever opens the same cinematic way as the rest: with a scene of explosions, people introduced, and slow motion shots. Though it does dive straight into the vulgarity, but what more can you expect? I found this to be of no surprise, however, since I assume the original cast knew that they had an audience with high expectations and going easy on that audience would merely disappoint, even into their old age. It was their way of saying: "Yeah, we're back again, but have we changed? No. Not one bit."
And that's certainly how much of Jackass Forever felt throughout its relatively short runtime. I rarely felt as if they were going too easy on themselves, and the idea to bring on some fresh talent to join them certainly helped. But, considering the fresh talent in the cast was one that many criticised, it didn't bother me one bit. I felt the new cast members mostly would fit in quite well, and it added a more fun, fresh look at the concept of hurting yourself for television. I also noticed that the show didn't lean too much on the prank side of things either, but the few pranks that did take place mostly were hits. I definitely laughed quite a few times throughout.
Unlike the prior Jackass films, however, I did notice there was a little less creativity in the stunts that were done. Some of them did appear a bit less creative, and many were just prior stunts we've all seen before but slightly altered. This is no surprise to again appeal to that prior demographic and show them that the original cast hasn't changed all that much, but I do feel it was slightly lacking that same creative magic that made the prior films, and even television series, stand out so much and remain so memorable. For example, one stunt was simply greasing up a slide and sliding down it to meet a rough ending. It seemed like a ton of fun in person, but for a few minutes of screentime, it felt more like a scene cut from the full feature edit; something you'd instead find in the extras of a DVD. Remember those? That isn't to say such scenes were not funny, though. I still enjoyed them.
I should point out that this also isn't anything too specific to the Jackass Forever film, too. Even the prior films from decades ago still featured the odd stunt or prank that just wasn't as funny as the other material. It's to be expected, and in a way can be seen as pacing to help fund the more expensive, crazy stunts like firing cast members into lakes from a cannon. Though I'm sure most of the budget in Jackass Forever went into shooting that opening scene.
Sadly, some aspects of Jackass Forever were lost with the lack of Bam Magera, who had experienced a bit of drama with the film's production over his mental health and substance abuse. His addition to the Jackass crew is great, and it wasn't quite the same without him despite the other newer cast members.
Seeing Spike Jonze among the crew was also a really nice surprise. A filmmaking talent that I rather enjoy for this other works not just related to the Jackass films.
A good ending to the Jackass franchise
It is evident that the original Jackass crew are reaching into that part of life where bumps and bruises last much longer. Where the landings from being thrown into the air by bulls aren't quite as soft as they used to be. As already mentioned: this is where the younger talent comes in. But it is clear that the Jackass brand probably won't see another entry, and certainly not as we knew it before. It was nice to see all of them come together one last time, however.
I think the film was precisely what you would expect from the Jackass crew. It was neither something incredible nor disappointing. I felt right at home throughout it, remembering the more youthful years of Jackass and how I would watch them and find their acts the stupidest and funniest thing imaginable. I remembered a point in my life where even I was more wreckful. How punk rock and skateboarding was 'in' and danger was more of a thrill than a fear. I think, as they've always done, the Jackass crew made a good homage to those times of youth. Where we're reminded not to take things too seriously and to enjoy doing stupid shit sometimes.
Which, in my opinion, is a very good message from a film shot during and released coming out of a global pandemic where everything turned a bit too serious for many people's liking. Perhaps this is a good example of passing the torch: where the youth are reminded to live and enjoy life, to have fun and do dumb things.