Rating: Country: U.S.A. Release Date: August 10, 2012 Distributor: ARC Entertainment Director: · Gregg Godfrey · Jeremy Rawle Cast: · Travis Pastrana · "Streetbike" Tommy Passamante · Jolen Van Vugt · Jeremy Rawle · Gregg Godfrey · Erik Roner · Jim DeChamp · Greg Powell Related Sites: · NItro Circus: The Movie 3D Official Website · IMDB: Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D Grade: B+

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For two seasons, extreme sports superstar Travis Pastrana and his tightly-knit group of friends (all extreme sports stars in their own right) had an extremely entertaining show on MTV called "Nitro Circus" in which they would perform all sorts of truly amazing stunts. Essentially, the show sort of followed in the same style as MTV's "Jackass" but with one major difference that's perfectly outlined by "Jackass" star and creator Johnny Knoxville during the course of this movie. Knoxville says that at its core, the "Jackass" stunts are sort of designed to fail with the humor coming out of that, but with the Nitro Circus, those stunts are designed to succeed and true failure there just isn't a funny thing. While precautions were certainly taken on both shows, it really was way more of a matter between life and death when it came to the Nitro Circus.

I really enjoyed the TV show; I was almost always guaranteed to see something really amazing on it and I've just been waiting to see if there was ever going to be a third season. Well, the third season obviously didn't happen but what did was this movie; "Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D" and it's a very entertaining ride.

While there's no story per se here, it is set against a backdrop of telling an overall story about this group of people, why they do what they do and their dream to take what they do and make it a live show that they perform in Las Vegas. Some of the stunts performed in the movie have also been done on the TV show, but here they have a little bit more of a production budget and the added bonus of 3D. And here, 3D is really an added bonus and it's right on display during the opening stunts of the film. This stunt is a massive recreation of one of the greatest stunts from the TV show, involving motocross cycles, trophy trucks and buggies (and I'm sure I'm missing something else) all jumping over each other in a criss-crossing pattern, with each of the bike riders all performing stunts as they take to the air. It's a dazzling display of talent and the 3D just really makes it even more impressive, making you feel more like being there than anything else. Now none of the other stunts that follow in the film are as impressive as its opening, but they're still fun to watch nonetheless. There is humor in the film as well, but don't go expecting the same variety that you'll see in a "Jackass" movie- most of the humor comes from the interview situations and narration through the film.

Travis Pastrana is certainly the most recognized name amongst the crew of the Nitro Circus, but this isn't the Travis Pastrana show by any means. The main core of the Circus includes Jolene Van Vugt, Jeremy Rawle, Gregg Godfrey, "Streetbike" Tommy Passamante, Erik Roner, Jim DeChamp and Greg Powell. Everybody gets a chance to shine, though "Streetbike" Tommy gets just a little more play than the rest of the group, sort of acting as their comic relief- if there can be such a thing here. You can tell that this group of folks genuinely enjoy what they're doing and genuinely enjoy doing it with each other.

If you were a fan of the show, then you'll probably have a great time with "Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D." I know I did. Just sort of look at as a bit of a palate cleanser among the other movies out there right now. It packs quite a lot into its short 90 minute run time and doesn't wear out it's welcome in the slightest. And as I said above, the 3D here is just incredible.