A flesh-coloured dildo flies arrow-straight through the air, as majestic in high definition 3D slow motion as any blue-skinned alien rendered painstakingly over a million man hours in Avatar, and far more interesting. Its trajectory takes it from left to right above miniatures of some of the world’s capital cities before slamming it into the face of a middle aged man and ricocheting off course in a fantastic pirouette as his cartilage, fat and bone echo its impact in Newtonian perfection.

This is not just 3D. This is Jackass 3D, and it is glorious.

Jackass is one of the least pretentions phenomena of the new millennium. Its core crew of nine men, now creeping into their 40s, have been through some of the toughest experiences imaginable in the name of humour, and the results have been as pure as they are puerile for a decade. These torturous experiments in self-harm have formed bonds and relationships which are clearly strong, and the camaraderie which gels the group together is what makes Jackass 3D so enjoyable.

Of course that is only 50 per cent of the story. What we’re here for are stunts intermingled with occasional candid camera style sketches. The former largely outweigh the latter, which is certainly a strong point of the film. The format has changed not one iota over the years, with clips and skits kept short to cater to Generation ADD and the intensity of the action gradually increasing with each wince-inducing, depraved act. Expect to feel physically sick at least once, even as you rub feeling back into your perma-smile ravaged face.

That Jackass 3D is still relevant and funny after so many years and a slew of copycats is a testament not just to the chemistry of its stars and the inventiveness of their onscreen torture but also to the enduring impact of this kind of comedy, which is perhaps the ultimate in slapstick. Every critic under the sun has cited Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin in reference to this movie, and they are right to do so. What Jackass 3D has above and beyond these icons is its ability to stray away from the security of choreographed fiction and into a world in which mistakes are inevitable and indeed essential to the formula. I found it delightful. It’s not better than the second, but with impressive implementation of 3D during the opening and closing sequences and an overall atmosphere of optimism and inclusiveness even as callous pranks are being pulled, it is a beautifully brutal watch which is in a weird way life-affirming even as it is life-threatening.