One of the weirdestmoviesof all time produced a surprisingly consistent franchise, and it puts a lot of other ongoing film series to shame. Film franchises have become increasingly popular in the 21st century, with nearly every movie in theaters being a sequel, spinoff, or reboot of a preexisting piece of media.
It’s still incredibly tricky to get a franchise right, and it takes finesse to deliver a strong follow-up. What’s more, sequels often have to up the ante, which is where they usually falter.The best sequelsare a mix of what made the first movie so great, as well as a heaping helping of new ideas to keep things fresh.
There’s one movie franchise in particular that hasn’t had to worry about the common pitfalls, and has perfected a formula that works every time. In a truly unique case, one of the strongest movie franchises in recent memory actually came from a totally unexpected source. Against all odds, this franchise has been good every single time.
Jackass Is Incredibly Absurd But Remarkably Consistent
The Stunt TV Show Translated Surprisingly Well To The Big Screen
After three seasons on MTV, the comedy stunt showJackasswas prepared to sign-off for good. In 2002, the cast reunited for their first-ever feature-length film, which was intended to conclude the series on a high note.Jackass: The Moviebrought all the low-brow antics of the show and made them even bigger with an expanded budgetand global scope.
Jackass: The Movieis like an episode of the show, but better
While otherTV show moviesstruggle to adapt their short-form stories to a feature-length format,Jackass: The Movieis like an episode of the show, but better. Though it got middling reviews,it was a significant financial hit, and spawned a sequel a few years later.Jackass Number Twoeventually begatJackass 3D, and finallyJackass Foreverin 2022.
2002
$79 million
2006
$84 million
2010
$171 million
2022
$80 million
There isn’t a storytelling element to the films, soeachJackassmovierelies on ridiculous stunts instead. All the familiar cast members are willing to put their bodies on the line for laughs, sothe movies all succeed at what they set out to accomplish. Critics might not love them, but that’s not important to Johnny Knoxville and his crowd.
Even The Jackass Spinoff Movie Is Solid
After the huge box office ofJackass 3D, the franchise went in a different direction with a spinoff.Bad Grandpaeschewed the narrative-less stunt spectacular of the otherJackassmovies, and actually told a loose narrative with real-life hidden camera pranks sprinkled in too. Johnny Knoxville plays the titular octogenarian, who is trying to get rid of his 8-year-old grandson.
Bad Grandpais the onlyJackassmovie to be nominated for an Oscar when it was honored in the Best Makeup category.
The humor comes from the over-the-top pranks, andBad Grandpaisn’t afraid to go for the gusto. In the same veinBorat, Knoxville and his young co-star terrorize random people with absurd questions and hilarious stunts. The narrative is actually pretty compelling too, and there’s a bit of heart in themovieseries known for its buffoonish antics.
