‘Jackass 3D’ continues tradition of insanity

“Jackass 3D”

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steven Gilchrist Glover (Steve-O), Bam… “Jackass 3D”

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steven Gilchrist Glover (Steve-O), Bam Margera

Director: Jeff Tremaine

Paramount Pictures

Grade: B+

Ten years ago, bored teenagers who stayed up too late were introduced to a show that, for better or worse, would change American culture. That show was “Jackass.” Now, its stars are worth millions and have their own adult lives, but that hasn’t stopped them from engaging in yet more cathartic revelry — only this time, in 3-D.

The stunts in this most recent edition of the franchise stand just as much on the brink of sanity as they did in the first film. Kicking off with a traditionally grand opening sequence, “Jackass 3D” wastes no time letting you know that the producers have access to expensive toys and invests the next 90 minutes in the obviously titled, over-the-top stunts that made the previous two movies famous.

However, whereas previous films in the franchise were mere expressions of youthful angst, “Jackass 3D” adds an element of humanity to the characters: Here, the lives of members are made a part of the film. The recent sobriety of Steve-O is referenced a few times, and several cut scenes feature the children of various members of the Jackass team.

While the advent of 3-D filmmaking has made for cliché, seat-filling films in recent months, the crew at the helm of “Jackass” has successfully discovered a way to make this technology truly entertaining. They effectively use their 3-D cameras to show what people most want to see in the technology: disgusting, shocking, vile things. There is no shortage of these in “Jackass” — with stunts like beehive tetherball, sweat-suit cocktail and a perverted grandpa, the film successfully grosses out its viewers while retaining the heart that only the “Jackass” crew could possess.