Nitro Circus The Movie 3D

VIDEO ESSAYS: HOPE SPRINGS, NITRO CIRCUS, THE CAMPAIGN, AND CLASSIC FILM PICK - WEST SIDE STORY  

A crew of ambitious daredevils with the “Jackass” ethos, perform unbelievably dangerous stunts on objects such as souped-up Big Wheels. By “dangerous,” I mean jumping between two 400-foot skyscrapers on tricycles. “Sketchy” is a word that comes up a lot in this laugh-riot non-documentary, which shows off the quirky personalities of a batch of adrenaline-junkies who make the “Jackass” guys seem tame by comparison. It’s no revelation that "Nitro Circus" is the first feature film from Johnny Knoxville’s “action sports collective.”

Directors-stuntmen Gregg Godfrey and Jeremy Rawle don’t so much “direct” “Nitro Circus The Movie 3D” as capture the before, during, and after episodes of gleeful excitement and pants-staining fear from stunts that will make audiences groan, shout, and laugh out loud. Fellow stunt specialists each get introductory segments demonstrating their phenomenal athletic abilities and go-for-it attitudes. Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham is a paraplegic who insists he's in “on” his wheelchair, rather than “in” it. These are one-of-a-kind performers.

MTV viewers may remember “Nitro Circus” from its 2009 run as a television program that led to live world tours. The film’s climax, during a Las Vegas performance, doesn’t give much sense of order to the live program. Still, “Nitro Circus The Movie 3D” is an eye-popping celebration of a talented and fearless stunt crew unafraid to put their lives on the line. Taste the adrenaline, babyface.

Rated PG-13. 88 mins. (B+) (Four Stars - out of five/no halves)

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