Film Review: 22 Jump Street

Director:

The recently released follow-up to the 2012 movie 21 Jump Street that opened to good reviews and was immensely popular at the box office. It is the sequel to the 2012 film 21 Jump Street, based on the 1987 television series of the same name by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh. Once again Jonah Hill was part of the writing team that produced the script and screenplay.

Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum)

With the Koreans taking back their church at 21 Jump Street, Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) moves the gang to 22 Jump Street inside a Vietnamese Church with a much bigger budget after their earlier success. Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) are now sent to college to infiltrate the dealers and find the suppliers after an earlier mission goes awry. They look for a new party drug called "WhyPhy" after the death of a student who was taking it.

The film follows in the footsteps of the original but for me was actually funnier and more entertaining. With the characters and format now set it blossoms with some wittier jokes as well as the inevitable toilet humour. But its a film that somehow gives you a guilty pleasure feel at times for laughing at the bad base humour without needlessly pushing it too far, it quickly follows a crude joke with a more subtle one. With a joke around Cate Blanchett's name being a major highlight.

The American Football helmet golf cart

The bromance between Hill and Tatum is what really holds the movie together though, they are two very likable characters but between all the craziness they do actually feel quite real. Ice Cube really comes into his own in this film as well, he features more prominently in the film and also adds plenty of humour to the mix. I have to admit I'm a sucker for random humour and a few jokes breaking the fourth wall were actually well timed. Although often a little uneven at times as the film peaks and troughs in terms of interest but it guarantees a smile on your face when you've finished.

2.5/4 Funnier than the original without doubt

Note: Its definitely worth staying for the credits, hilarious.