Following on from the surprise success of the first Jackass film this sequel continues the usual scenes of painful stunts and pranks. There's no story here and the only sequence which sets this apart from the TV series is the the very filmlike (and pretty ambitious) opening sequence where the cast are chased down a street by some pretty fearsome looking cattle! As they scream in slow motion and hurl themselves through windows, trellis and cars the tone is set for an hour and a half of mayhem - some of it you may struggle to watch!
Jackass presents on screen a variety of puerile events which really ought to be dismissed as childish and brainless, but somehow the guys manage to endear themselves to the viewer. As well as making you laugh by subjecting their bodies to some extreme punishments they also come across as a solid unit of friends, it's obvious they feel comfortable with each others company and don't seem to mind appearing nude with each other either! There are parts of the DVD where they joke about the fact that the film is basically a homo-erotic feature and although they say it in jest it's refreshing to see a film where the 'bro-mance' isn't scripted or contrived - this is a genuinely close group who would just as easily console a crying member as hit them with a bin lid.
The special features menu on the DVD initially looks quite sparse, but as you enter the options you reveal an expansive set of bonuses. The deleted, extended, and alternate scenes give you another half an hour of entertainment which isn't quite as good as that in the film but still well worth a watch. The 'making of' documentary is actually pretty interesting and explores the reasons why they wanted to make another film.
In a nutshell: This isn't in any way cerebral but it made me laugh almost constantly throughout. There was only one point I couldn't look at the screen (it involves a fish hook) but for the majority of the film you almost feel like part of the group - sharing the joke. There are warnings at the start and end of the film requesting that you don't try this at home - presumably just in case you find yourself with the opportunity to put an anaconda in a ball pool.