22 Jump Street

It's pretty easy to review this one. If you liked the first one, you're in for a treat. It holds up to the expectations and plays cleverly with 'being aware' of making basically the same movie again. The good thing about this flick is, that it doesn't take itself too seriously while at the same time delivering a good and fast paced story with quite some surprises and good action. I basically laughed from the first minute up to the (awesome!) end credits! If you like that type of comedy, this one is for you, as it delivers on point and, without a doubt, is the funniest flick this year so far! Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have a great chemistry and you can see and feel, how they enjoyed doing this movie. Like the first one, 22 Jump Street does a great job observing the different aspects of college life, students and teachers (or professors for that matter). Everyone who's been to college can relate to those stereotypes (e.g. the pseudo intellectuals, the sport jocks, the art students etc.) and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller ("The Lego Movie") do a great job spoofing those clichés while at same time debunk the downsides and shallowness of those groups or college life in general.

Verdict: Go see it, if you liked the first one. I can't say if it's better, but it certainly holds up. And I liked the first one pretty much. So there you go...

I watched this right after 21 jump street. This started off better for me. I was cracking at "my name is Jeff." I somehow absolutely forgot about that. I had to pause to stop laughing. I still remembered the slam poetry scene, because it felt pretty accurate lol. That's literally what I hear when someone shows me slam poetry. Weird seeing Wyatt Russell in this after seeing his roles in Monarch tv series and Night swim recently. Funniest bit was the Captains daughter bit. I don't know if I remember correctly but Kevin Hart was also sleeping with ice cube's daughter or something in 'Ride Along' too? This keeps happening to him lol. I think it was written better, still dumb and childish, but better. I loved the open relationship/investigation thing, the movie is filled with relationship metaphors throughout. It teased so many jump street sequels and I was laughing because surely your cover could be blown after so many undercover missions. Anyway I enjoyed this much more than the first, certainly got a lot more laughs out of me.

Usually remakes aren't very good, with many bombing and being outshone by the original version. But to everyone's surprise 21 Jump Street was a hit, earning 200 million and giving the careers of both Hill and Tatum a big boost to two already big names. Then just like any action, the producers decided to throw more money at the same people hoping for the same result. Usually all this leads to is everything being the same but with more explosions and a bigger pay-check to get the same people back.. Well, that's exactly what 22 Jump Street also does, with as much as possible remaining just the same. The difference being that it's honest about it, with the entire film mocking the regular clichés.

Even the outline of the plot mocks the regular concept of every sequel. Hill and Tatum are constantly reminded to do everything the exact same as last time at every chance they get to say it. The logic being since it worked last time, it'll work again. Only this time they'll throw more money at it to better ensure success. Because increasing the budget is certain to increase the profit. This is one of the many self aware jokes that the film keeps throwing at us. Usually staying fixed on joking that it's a sequel would get repetitive after a while, but the film just keeps handling it in different ways to keep the laughs coming.

It works because of the clever writing which parodies every detail of an action sequel, keeping the jokes fresh and original. They'll make a joke out of everything from the fact that things getting destroyed in car chases costs a lot in the budget to even John Woo's doves being randomly thrown in. At times some of the jokes don't work quite as well, but there's enough hilarious moments packed in to make sure the laughs keep coming and mocks every possible detail of the action sequel.

On top of this, the actors know how to make the jokes work with all the actors having the same charm as last time. Ice Cube gets his angry boss role down to the note, mastering the angry stare and yelling almost every line of dialogue he gets. The cameos from the villains be as over the top as you can get. And just like before, both Hill and Tatum bring their A game in their ultimate bromance together. It was one of the key elements of the first film and the actors chemistry remains just as funny and enjoyable here. If anything more so here, with their conversations growing more like a married couple and a lot more opportunities to be hilariously over the top.

Which is the main reason that 22 Jump Street is one of the few sequels that's better than the original. It's everything that 21 Jump Street was, just bigger and better. With the likes of this, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and the Lego Movie it's clear that Lord and Miller are quickly becoming 2 of the biggest and best names in comedy using both slapstick and mocking clichés to keep the laughs coming strong. I don't know whether they intend to do any more sequels, but as long as they maintain the consistently funny films that they have so far I can only hope that they make as many jump streets as they can.

Quickie Review:

After a successful undercover drug bust operation in high school, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) get their next big assignment. Now in the sequel 22 Jump Street, as Ice Cube so eloquently put it, these "two sons of b***hes are going to college." As the cop duo take on yet another drug ring, they go through multitude of ridiculous yet hilarious situations. In doing so, there are some formulaic traps that the movie does fall into. Despite that, it is just an incredible ride with non-stop laughter and great comedic chemistry between the lead actors. This is a must-see for fans of 21 Jump Street and people who generally like to laugh.

Full Review:

The original movie, 21 Jump Street, was a surprise hit back in 2012. It was a movie filled with many belly aching moments of laughter. For that reason, of all the comedies of 2014 this sequel may be the most anticipated, at least it was for me. So the question is: does it deliver on the high expectations? And the answer is: oh hell yes it does.

There is one absolute in this franchise that no one will dispute, the chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is incredible. As soon as their on screen you immediately start smiling, just because you feel the need to prepare yourself for something amusing. Then when they do go about their shenanigans, numerous twists and turns occur that are fun to watch unfold, to hilarious effect. The jokes are fast paced and relentless, without it being tiresome. More importantly the comedy is actually clever, even during some of the scenarios the are more stupid due to some absurdity. The combination of the comedic duo and the intelligent humor work flawlessly, making the flick all the more entertaining. As great as the two leads are with their comedic timing, I need to especially mention Ice Cube. I won't spoil anything of course, but there are points in this movie where Ice Cube actually steals the scenes he is in. I'd pay the full movie ticket price just to see that dynamic between Ice Cube and the two leads. It is that good.

I do recognize there are some faults with 22 Jump Street. It did stick with the philosophy of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." In that sense, the general story plot is pretty much the same as the original movie. 22 Jump Street is self-aware of what it is, and pokes fun of itself for being a sequel that follows the formula. However, addressing this fault in that comedic way will not be enough for everyone to forgive it. Still, I think this is something that you can easily look past because of how enjoyable the movie is.

The one purpose of a comedy is to make you laugh, and 22 Jump Street fulfills that requirement consistently throughout the movie. By throughout the movie, I mean even during the credits. Your cheeks will have a good exercise, because mine were in pain with all the laughing. It is well worth your time and money, so don't miss out on this one. If they keep this up I will be there even at 1022 Jump Street.

All these reviews are bashing the crap out of this movie. 'It's aimless drivel and only for mindless idiots'. Well....Yeah. When I watch a comedy like this that's what I hope for. Sometime you just want to turn off your brain for an hour and a half and watch two familiar "actors" play out ridiculous but easy enough to grasp scenarios while they foolishly react. A post-viewing critique is pointless because the directors have no intention of it being able to hold up on creative or any kind of artistic merit. If you want to think about what you're watching, or enjoy good story development, or simply see some great acting then there are plenty of movies like Rashomon, Eraserhead, The Man from Earth, Memories of Murder, Hitchcock films, Miyszaki films, or something like Life Is Beautiful or It's A Wonderful Life(I forget which is which, both great). And there's nothing wrong with a good documentary know and then either. But something good and properly stupid can be just the right thing when you need to take a respite. Not all comedies are going to be a quipping Woody Allen flicks. It's really about getting a good balance in your movies types and picking the right one for your current mood. In other words this movie is just what it intends to be and just what wanted it to be. Pure and easy entertainment.

...Now I'm going to get my Audrey Hepburn on and watch My Fair Lady.