Sequel to '21 Jump Street' directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Brie Larson
"I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead."
Substitute "review" for "letter" in Mark Twain's famous quote, and you'll come close to my opinion on much of today's overly-wordy film criticism. So with this in mind, so as not to waste your time, I'll endeavour to craft a review of 22 Jump Street that's short and to the point.
This sequel to 21 Jump Street is both funny and smart, and will give you plenty of laughs even if it doesn't quite reach the comedic heights of its predecessor. There are plenty of chuckles-per-minute, a reasonably broad variety of jokes, and it actually manages to add to the inherent humour of the concept (in which adult cops transparently masquerade as high school/college kids to bust drugs gangs) by introducing a whole new strain of self-effacing humour that makes fun of the repetitive, predictable nature of film sequels.
Throughout the film, there are lots of gags about how Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are simply repeating their steps from the first movie - which helps to give 22 Jump Street a knowing, ironic sensibility that makes it very difficult to dislike. An elaborate opening sequence ends on a killer punchline that makes it clear that Hill and Tatum's characters are only good for one thing: the same thing they did in the first movie. And more of the same is what fans of 21 Jump Street will want to see anyway, so why be coy about it?
Add in some inspired comedy setpieces (including a fantastic twist involving the pair's boss, played by Ice Cube, that gives him a wonderful opportunity to cut loose in anger), a fun cameo or two, and some tight action sequences that deliver on both excitement and slapstick farce, and you have a recipe for a fantastic follow-up to the hugely successful original.
Just like my opening quote suggests, it would have been a lot quicker and easier for directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller to go bigger and more elaborate with this movie - but would it have been any funnier, or better? I don't think so.
By sticking to the tried and tested premise and keeping things succinct and snappy - not to mention introducing a running gag of self-mockery that culminates in an inspired closing credits sequence that will make it very difficult to watch any future instalments with a straight face - the two directors have managed to do the seemingly impossible, and capture 21 Jump Street's lightning in a bottle for a second time.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. DVD Bonus Features Include: Commentary with Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum Five Deleted & Extended Scenes “The Perfect Couple of Directors” Featurette Line-O-Rama: “Schmidt and Tattoo Art”
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum reprise their roles as an unlikely pairing of undercover cops in this action comedy sequel based on the 1980s TV series. Following their success infiltrating a local high school, fresh-faced police officers Morton Schmidt (Hill) and Greg Jenko (Tatum) are despatched to college to try and crack a crime ring. However, the different lifestyles available in college threaten to reawaken old divisions, as Schmidt is drawn into a liberal artistic circle and Jenko finds a home in the testosterone-fuelled domain of the football team. Will the pair be able to put aside their differences and remain focussed on their objective amidst the many opportunities and excesses offered by college life?
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