Credit: Amazon.com
Creators:
Johnny Knoxville
Jeff Tremaine
Spike Jones
Cast:
Johnny Knoxville ………. Himself
Bam Margera ………. Himself
Stephen Otis ………. Steve-O
Chris Pointius ………. Himself
Ryan Dunn ………. Himself
Jeff Tremaine………. Himself
Preston Lacy ………. Himself
Jason Acuna ………. Wee Man
Rick Kosick ………. Himself
Rake Yohn ………. Himself
Chris Raab ………. Raab Himself
Ehren McGheghey ………. Himself
Brandon DiCamillo ………. Himself
Dave England ………. Himself
Dimitry Elyashkevich ………. Himself
Phil Margera ………. Himself
April Margera ………. Herself
The Show
It all started out as a joke. But no one is laughing now. Okay..they are laughing now, but no one can laugh at the amount of money these guys have made off this little show. You can laugh at the concept of the show, but ‘Jackass’ became one of the highest rated TV shows on MTV EVER!
What is the show about? People doing stupid stuff. People acting like total..well..jackasses! That’s the name of the show and that is what they do. They act like jackasses. The show came about from a skateboarding magazine called “Big Brother” back in the late 1990’s. It attracted odd-ball skaters and would later feature them on the show. Skating was big back at this time. Then, along comes a guy named Johnny Knoxville. He gets filmed doing stupid and dangerous stunts, and the show takes off.
This is “15 minutes of fame” at its best. These guys would do anything to become famous. Lucky for them that it worked, because I would have hate to be them if it didn’t go anywhere. They took so much damage to their bodies..it HAD to work. ‘Jackass’ made a “star” out of Johnny Knoxville. He is out making movies in Hollywood. Some of the other guys got their own spin-off shows as well.
This is the box set of the show. This is probably the most complete set you can buy. Now..this is not the complete “seasons” of the show as they ran on MTV. These are just volumes 1-3. They are the best segments of the show that they could legally air. That’s the thing. ‘Jackass’ caused so much controversy over it’s tastelessness and violence, which led to its cancellation. Some segments could not be aired again, because of legal problems. If they could air them all..they would. It’s all about the money and the more ‘Jackass’ the better for them. But what you got here is a compilation of the “greatest” segments from ‘Jackass’.
There are three discs for each of the three volumes along with a fourth disc that is a bonus disc. Each volume has an optional audio commentary track that can be heard for about half of each volume. It features comments from Knoxville and the rest of the gang. The bonus disc has more stuff thrown in that has never been shown before on the previous volumes. In addition, there is a 48-page book that is in an insider’s look into ‘Jackass’.
I will tell you that this show has a VERY limited appeal to a certain age group. It’s the kids growing up in the 80’s, the 18-24 year olds, that this show will appeal to. Now that is a key demographic for any TV show, which is why ‘Jackass’ probably became successful. It brought in the ratings! I am 23. I was 18 when the show came out and the show is funny. But sometimes it can be plain stupid! Of course, that’s the point of the show, so that could be a good thing..who knows. I tend to like the stuff involving Johnny Knoxville than I like the stuff with Bam and him beating up his dad. That gets old..real fast! But I couldn’t help but laugh at Knoxville and his “Daddy and Baby” skits. Anything that involves “normal” people seeing these jackasses and reacting to them is funny! I love to watch as people have no idea what is going on.
The show is not for everyone as I said. And at times, it can be a little boring. But other times you will be laughing non-stop! It’s like ‘America’s Funniest Videos’ taken to the EXTREME! Except..these guys did it to themselves and they knew that pain was coming when they did these stunts! Why do that to themselves? Fame and money! Everything has its price and ‘Jackass’ made these guys a lot of money, but their bodies paid the ultimate price. Now ask yourself..“what would you do for money?”
Score: 6/10
The Video:
This is the original 1.33:1 fullscreen format. Pretty much the same thing you saw on TV. It is a little better, though.
The Audio:
This is English 2.0 Dolby Surround Sound. No problems here either.
The Extras:
Audio Commentaries on Volumes 1, 2, 3
Each volume has an audio commentary featuring Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Bam Margera, Ryan Dunn, Dave England, Wee Man, Ehren McGheghey, Preston Lacy, Dimitry Elyashkevich, and Jeff Tremaine. They run for about half of each volume. Most of them are drunk, which makes the commentaries that much funnier!
48-Page ‘Jackass’ Booklet’
It tells you how the show got started again and talks about some of the segments of the show. It’s pretty cool, but you can find most of the information elsewhere.
Gumball Rally with commentary by Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dimitry Elyashkevich, and Jeff Tremaine
This is a race in Europe that happens every year. This time the ‘Jackass’ crew took part in it. It could have been better. It lasts 40 minutes and that is a little too much, in my opinion.
Where Are They Now?
This is the best feature. It has information on all the guys. What they did before the show and what they are doing after the show? Also..how they spent their money from the show as well?
‘MTV Cribs’ – ‘Jackass’ edition
This a look at the homes of Ryan Dunn, Bam Margera, Steve-O, and Chris Pontius.
‘Jackass’ VMAs Cast Appearances
This is when some of the ‘Jackass’ guys appeared on the MTV VMAs in 2002 and the Latin VMAs in 2002 as well. Usual stuff.
Abduction Segment
The first Brad Pitt skit, where he gets kidnapped by the crew in front of a bunch of people. Funny stuff.
Night Monkey 2
Another Brad Pitt skit. Everyone is dressed up as monkeys as they roam the streets of Los Angeles. Pitt joins them as one of the monkeys.
Photo Gallery
Various pictures from the show.
Score: 9/10
