It might have been easy to simply wave Jackass Forever away as a hollow attempt to recapture the gross-out magic of the original film and television series. After all, we’ve seen a myriad of lifeless sequels pop up in recent times, sometimes decades after the last instalment and Johnny Knoxville and pals have to be past their prime as far as attempting these ridiculously dangerous stunts go, right? Well I’m happy to report that when it comes to Jackass Forever, neither of those things are true; a rollercoaster of a comedy that masterfully alternates between hilariously juvenile pranks and terrifying stunts that will have you wincing and squirming in your seat. If you aren’t on board with the series’ premise at this point, Forever is unlikely to convert you, but for fans of the series this feels like hanging with old friends again… and watching them do some crazy shit.
The biggest question about this fourth film comes in the form of the main cast: can their bodies still handle the punishment 20 years after the original film? The short answer is yes, but with a few tweaks to the formula. All of the old favourites return – Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Ehren McGhehey – with the exceptions of Ryan Dunn (who unfortunately passed away) and Bam Margera – whose struggles with addiction and very public disputes with the production have seen him essentially scrubbed from the movie apart from the odd scene or two. Whilst Steve-O and Ehren always seem down to subject themselves to whatever crazy punishment Knoxville and director Jeff Tremaine have cooked up, you do begin to sense some trepidation from other cast members – they’re pushing 50, who could blame them?
Fortunately that’s where the new cast members step in. One of Forever’s strongest weapons comes in the form of these new (lovingly said) idiots – Poopsie, Eric Manaka, Davon Wilson and Rachel Wolfson among them – who are more than game to try their hands at the kind of antics that the older crew idolised for them in the early 2000’s. You can clearly tell how much the franchise means to these newbies (a lot of whom even sport Jackass tattoos) and their energy is infectious, alleviating some of the dread you can feel when a particularly nasty situation is introduced. Tasers are licked, scorpion stings are inflicted and almost everyone vomits at one point but it’s always done with a smile; the older cast visibly relieved that they don’t have to participate in the stupidity. There’s no disdain or hazing from that original generation though and no obvious divide, making it seem as if the group of friends has simply expanded.
At its core, a Jackass film is a very different comedic experience. There’s (largely) no pre-written dialogue or scripted moments to be found, with the audience placing a great amount of trust in these hooligans messing around and seeing what sticks. That tension, the constant feeling that you don’t know what is next or how they could possibly top the last segment, is what keeps you howling with laughter or cringing away from the screen in horror. Each moment hits so incredibly hard because of the improvisation of it all. The accurately named “Cup Test” – a series of increasingly painful tests of the humble sports cup – could go horrifically wrong at any moment, creating this strange sensation of both wanting and not wanting to see it all unfold. It’s impossible not to have some reaction to seeing a man’s scrotum caught and stretched under a pogo stick, and whether you like it or not, the film always succeeds in drawing that visceral response from the audience.
That’s the foundation of Jackass and Forever is never without it, a continuation made by people who still clearly love doing these things rather than a reluctant rehash for money. It seems doubtful that we’ll get another film where the original cast does as much as they do here but the new blood brought into the fold are more than capable of taking the franchise far into this future. For a series built around the most depraved and dangerous stunts that a group of buddies can think of, Jackass proves it has a legacy most franchises can’t compete with and few would have the balls to try and replicate.
Jackass Forever stars Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Ehren McGhehey, Preston Lacy, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Jasper Dolphin, Zach Holmes, Rachel Wolfson, Eric Manaka and Compston “Darkshark” Wilson – In cinemas now.