Jackass presents Mat Hoffman’s Tribute To Evel Knievel (MTV DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C     Main Program: C+

 

 

Though Jackass is not a show I watch much, I had to see what they did about the late 1970s icon Evel Knievel in Jackass presents Mat Hoffman’s Tribute To Evel Knievel now on DVD.  In one scene, Knievel is referred to as a “superhero” and if you grew up around the time, that has more truth to it that you’d think.

 

For one thing, he was doing crazy stunts that even rivaled Hollywood and the U.K.’s moviemaking at a time when stuntwork was at its peak with films from the likes of Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood at their most fired-up action mode, among others.  The shoot-‘em up 1980s replaced guns with better stuntwork and made films lazy in the long run, something then made worse by digital effects.  Knievel reminds us of the decline in oddly profound ways.

 

So the guys here do some of stunts in that tradition and all in all, the show is (brace yourself) a respectful tribute that may not offend Knievel the way his lawsuit over a recent Hip Hop video recently did, but shows a rare side of this TV team.  At Knievel’s peak, there are patches, t-shirts and even an action figure playset with a tie-in Marvel Comic.  They never surface here, but that Knievel casts enough of a giant shadow for these guys to pay respect to anything for the first time in their career’s speaks volumes to the love Knievel inspired to fans in the beginning and how he remains one of the few 1970s icons not sold down the river by remakes and bad marketing.  This might be the last time Jackass is this relative somber.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image is a little soft from its analog video origins, but is good for what it is, along with its Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo recorded on location with music added MTV style.  Extras include a tattoo montage, Music Video, stills and four featurette-like pieces on the crew.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo