Every Jackass Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Five years before the advent of YouTube, the MTV series "Jackass" was the place to watch people doing crazy stunts. Created by Jeff Tremaine, Johnny Knoxville, and Spike Jonze, the show is built on a basic premise: a group of friends does various outrageous and dangerous stunts. These activities range from stupid pranks to downright brutal physical punishment. Audiences tuned in to see what insane stuff the crew would do next. Though the show only lasted a mere three seasons, its lasting impact on popular culture, for better or worse, cannot be denied.  

After the series, a few of the "Jackass" crew members branched off into other projects. For instance, Knoxville used the show as a springboard for an acting career, and some of his credits include "Men in Black II," "Lords of Dogtown," and more recently, "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend" (via IMDb). Wanting to bank off the popularity of the show, MTV decided to do a film, which was supposed to be a fitting farewell to the "Jackass" saga. Thankfully for fans of the show, this was not the case, and a new feature-length film, "Jackass Forever," was just released in February 2022. 

With that in mind, it seems fitting to rank the previous films from worst to best.

Johnny Knoxville has an elder character that he would use in sketches during the early years of "Jackass." Using some impressive old-age makeup, Knoxville would completely transform into a crotchety senior citizen. The goal was to see how much crazy stuff Knoxville's alter-ago could get away with. Soon enough, it was decided that it would be a great idea to take Grandpa and give him his very own spin-off film. 

The movie focuses on an 80-something man named Irving Zisman (played by Knoxville), who goes on a cross-country adventure from Nebraska to North Carolina to reunite his grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) with his father. Directed by Jeff Tremaine, "Bad Grandpa" manages to have some hilarious moments, and weirdly enough, a few touching ones. Having said that, it is easily one the weakest entries in the "Jackass" franchise. 

The paper-thin story makes one wonder why they even tried for a narrative to begin with. The humor is at times lacking, but most importantly, the charm is missing from the mainstay "Jackass" films. This is because "Bad Grandpa" is missing Knoxville's rogues gallery of lovable misfits, not to mention the stunts never feel that groundbreaking.

Long before Johnny Knoxville and his motley crew were doing death-defying feats, there was a man that blazed a trail. Robert Craig Knievel, better known as Evel Knievel, was legendary for his breathtaking and jaw-dropping stunts. He mainly performed these by doing harrowing jumps on bikes and cars. Coming after 2006's "Jackass: Number Two," Paramount released the direct-to-DVD "Jackass Presents: Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel." Clearly, Knoxville has a lot of love and respect for Knievel. 

In the film, Knoxville serves as host, while BMX bike legend Mat Hoffman and crew members Allan Cooke, Travis Pastrana, Trigger Gumm, Spanky Spangler, and more perform various Knievel-inspired bike jumps. "Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel" is a fairly breezy watch, clocking in at just under 50 minutes, and it has some pretty impressive stunt work. While there is one skydiving sequence, the rest of the stunts are just various bike jumps. Therefore, things feel like they get stale quickly, and unless you are really into BMX tricks, "Mat Hoffman's Tribute to Evel Knievel" offers little else.

"Jackass: The Movie" felt like a no-brainer for MTV and Paramount Pictures. After all, the show had been a hit and the cast was able to raise their profile considerably. The production was given a decent $5 million budget for the crew to wreak utter havoc wherever they went. The gamble paid off, as the movie ended up grossing a reported $79 million at the box office (via Box Office Mojo).

The movie opens with a literal bang, showcasing a complex and furious stunt-filled shopping cart race. Not only is this a jaw-dropping introduction, but it sets the stage for big splashy openings in the later "Jackass" sequels. "Jackass: The Movie" has a lot of memorable stunts, such as the skate-bowling scene in which Bam Margera wakes up his long-suffering parents with fireworks. This, and many more side-busting, at times rapid-fire, stunts are all showcased in the film.

Though the movie is no doubt funny, it's not in a better position on the list for a few reasons. The production value and budget are for the most part on par with the show, so therefore quite basic. When you watch the later films with bigger budgets, you can definitely see the difference. The later films also have more complex stunts, as well as great celebrity cameos.

As these two titles are essentially the same thing, showing behind-the-scenes interviews and extended stunts from the previous film, we decided it was fitting to group them together. Released on home video on December 26, 2007, "Jackass 2.5" is a compilation of deleted scenes from "Jackass: Number Two." It also includes newly filmed interviews with the "Jackass" crew, including Steve-O, Johnny Knoxville, and Dave England. Despite being a glorified reel of unused material, "Jackass 2.5" was a hit upon its release, making near $4 million in video sales, which is quite big considering it skipped a theatrical release (via The Numbers). "Jackass 3.5" got a similar Blu-ray and DVD release around Christmas of 2011 (via MTV).

While "Jackass 2.5" is only a little over an hour long, the movie manages to showcase some side-splitting moments. These include the Crab Clamp, in which Knoxville inflicts some pain to various unsuspecting "Jackass" crew members with a fake crab with a clamp; the Snapping Turtle Bite, which features Chris Pontius getting bitten by — you guessed it — a snapping turtle; El Matador, in which Wee Man tangles with a baby bull; and the scene where Bam Margera, Brandon DiCamillo and the late Ryan Dunn freak out April Margera with a fake bazooka. The interviews included in between segments are also a really nice addition to "Jackass 2.5."

Comparatively, "Jackass 3.5" is an unrated film featuring all the extra footage from "Jackass 3D," which there seems to be a lot of, as the runtime is almost an hour and a half. While the movie includes a bunch of hilarious clips, there's definitely a reason they weren't chosen over other moments to appear in "Jackass 3D," which is why it takes this spot on the list alongside "Jackass 2.5."

As the title suggests, 2010's "Jackass 3D" takes advantage of the 3D film trend that was most popular in the mid 2000s to early 2010s. The budget was upped to $20 million, and the film ended up grossing an impressive $171 million at the box office, making it the most successful entry to date (via Box Office Mojo). The film opens with a hilarious and unexpected cameo from Beavis and Butt-Head giving the audience a "lesson" in 3D technology. This sets the perfect tone for some wild and unpredictable "Jackass" insanity. On top of that, this is a fun inclusion because "Beavis and Butt-Head" creator and voice actor Mike Judge makes a cameo in "Jackass Number Two."

One of the more notable stunts of the film features some of the "Jackass" cast members, dressed in prisoner outfits, going down a corridor of stun guns and cattle prods. However, the most memorable prank might be the High Five, in which unsuspecting victims gets a literal smackdown courtesy of a giant hand hidden out of sight. The latter is a clear case of a simple, yet oh-so-effective prank that arguably only a mad genius could come up with. What holds back "Jackass 3D" from one of the top two spots is that while it is undoubtedly funny, it doesn't have the kind of stand-out, memorable, and even shocking moments as a couple of other entries do.

After the first film proved to be a success at the box office, it wasn't a big surprise when "Jackass" was turned into a film franchise. Once again directed by Jeff Tremaine, "Jackass: Number Two" is arguably one of the best of the film series. Not only does the chemistry between its core cast still feel fresh and energized, but this time around, Knoxville and friends had a bigger budget to work with (via Box Office Mojo). In a 2018 interview with Vanity Fair, Knoxville remarked on the film, saying that "everyone was on their worst behavior."

Though the production values are put to good use, we still get straightforward, uncomplicated "Jackass" madness. This includes some hilarious hijinks, including bees getting released in a limo, Knoxville and his crew grappling with a live anaconda in a ball pit, and Knoxville being strapped onto an actual rocket and hurled into the air. Though "Jackass 3D" has some great moments, what edges "Number Two" ahead has to be the impressive stars that make an appearance. Aside from the aforementioned Mike Judge, Luke Wilson and Rip Taylor also appear in the film. But it's an appearance by cult film director John Waters that makes this legendary. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter from January of 2022, Steve-O remarked, "Number Two was the masterpiece in my view."

After 2010's "Jackass 3D" pulled in a cool $171 million at the box office and an additional $22 million in domestic home video sales, it was assumed that a fourth entry in the "Jackass" series would quickly follow (via The Numbers). Instead, it took over a decade for a new film to hit theaters. In 2018,  Entertainment Weekly asked Johnny Knoxville if there would be a new sequel. He replied, "If we did do a new one, we'd have to bring in some new younger guys — just to bring some fresh blood into it." 

Indeed, alongside the main series cast, new members featured in 2022's "Jackass Forever" include Sean "Poopies" McInerney, Jasper Dolphin, and Zach Holmes. Though, it's the addition of comedian and YouTuber Rachel Wolfson that some argue is really the breath of fresh air the series needed (via IndieWire). "Jackass Forever" stormed into theaters on February 4, 2022. The big question is, does it capture that same spark as the previous films? Thankfully, yes, it does! 

With an 85% Tomatometer rating and a 92% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, both critics and fans love it, and "Jackass Forever" is the highest-rated film of the series to date. The movie has rapid-fire comedy from the start, and the stakes are raised to a level that might top any previous entry to date. The centerpiece is Knoxville squaring off with a bull. However, we are also treated to the classic-style stunts that make the series so beloved. This is truly the peak of "Jackass."