Johnny Knoxville is up to his old tricks in “Jackass: Best and Last.” (photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures)

Those crazy “Jackass” guys sure got old. Of course, they did. This franchise began in 2000, with a modest run of three 10-episode seasons. Then came the films, six main ones and several “.5” editions with different footage. Then came MTV series spinoffs for various members. The crew weathered a death and an ousting due to addiction problems.

It’s been a wild ride, and “Jackass: Best and Last” honors the past and proves these old Gen Xers still know how to shut down a party with their absurd antics.

While “Best and Last” features around six major new gags, the boys can’t safely (an arguable choice of word, indeed) accomplish what made “Jackass” “Jackass” for so many years. So how do they fill the time? With a mix of new material and unused pranks, some insanely unsafe and others previously stuck in legal limbo, like a staged kidnapping of Brad Pitt outside Pink’s that angered the LAPD.

Without spoiling much, the film does kick off with a vintage sequence – pre-released as part of the film’s marketing – of a very young Johnny Knoxville sporting a Kevlar vest and five dirty magazines between him and a handgun he uses on himself. At the turn of the millennium, it would be a very bad idea to run. Media literacy was different then – too many young guys susceptible to a rush.

Gen Z might look like idiots dancing in the streets for a TikTok video, but they ain’t this crazy. “Jackass” advocates can brag about that if they want, but remember that Knoxville had to use a catheter for years following a botched dirt bike stunt. So in this age, apparently, we all know not to shoot ourselves with a gun.

We also experience restored greatest hits that look high-quality. Re-live the giant hand slap, Steve-O’s horrifying cocktail and Ryan Dunn’s special X-ray. If you know, you know. If you don’t, no need to explain. Experience the pain and bodily fluids in high resolution like the gods of chaos intended. It’s comforting to see Dunn, who died in 2011, and Bam Margera, whose substance issues led to his removal from “Jackass Forever,” including any bits that featured him. Those omissions became fair game now, following agreements by all parties involved. The beef appears to live on, but “Best and Last” still revisits the better, simpler times.

So many familiar faces still appear. Knoxville rightly leads the madness – the fully white-haired frontman’s still inviting, charming and, of course, mad all at once.

Next up, Steve-O has some city miles on him, but he’s still down to make it weird. Oddly, Chris Pontius looks about the same and acts the same too, always ready with an off-the-wall moral to any event. Jason Acuna (or Wee Man), Preston Lacy, Dave England and poor Ehren McGhehey, always the butt of so many mean moments, return as well. The group dynamic remains the same, and it’s hard not to laugh if the kind of lowbrow humor is your thing. No judgment either way.

Much has changed. But camera operator Lance Bangs is still there, disrupting the fourth wall to wretch, gag and occasionally vomit at the sight of the horrors he must chronicle. This particular trope of the franchise enjoys special attention during an extended send-off for all during the credits, so stick around during the final fade to black.

The newer team members introduced in “Jackass Forever” don’t receive much screen time, save a few gross-out moments, but there’s still time to add just one more face. Meet Larry, a Unitree humanoid robot voiced by Adam Ray (known for his Dr. Phil satire bits), while it performs an exam on Steve-O. It occasionally appears to comment on other gags as well.

That this franchise survived this long is truly incredible. For everyone’s safety, ending is the right choice. But the journey is something unique. Before fail videos, we had these guys, and “Jackass: Best and Last” serves as a fitting farewell to the most bonkers media franchise. An era ends, and nothing can replace this absurdity.