21 Jump Street

I watched it when it first came out and remembered liking it, but it was time to give it a re-watch to see if it's still holding up. And it really does! I am pretty tired of Hollywood trying to make money by reviving old franchises (which this movie pokes fun at in some parts actually) but this was a well done example of that. Sure, it's still more entertainment than believable story/plot but the funny writing and great delivery by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are good enough to make you forget about it for.1h45. Just turn your brain off and grab your favorite drink and just enjoy the shot, you'll have a good time!

Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are a couple of underperforming cops. Their Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) sends them back to high school to go undercover as students to crack a drug ring.

This is an re-imagining of the 80s TV show. Unlike many others who try to remake 80s show, this one is actually funny, and joyous. They have great chemistry, and are hilarious together. Surprisingly, Channing Tatum does have some comedic chops. His timing is quite good. Jonah Hill is a great partner. Ice Cube does an intimidating Captain without losing likability. In fact, I think everybody is having a good fun time, and I think it shows.

21 Jump Street was a late 1980s/early 90s action based cop show featuring Johnny Depp. A department of youthful looking cops who can mingle amongst young people.

The film version goes for laughs with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill playing mismatched buddies who get recruited by the newly constituted Jump Street because of their youthful looks and go undercover in High School to break a synthetic drugs gang.

On paper the film does not sound much, an old forgotten TV series being revived, starring two actors who outside of the USA would not cause much of a stir, Tatum being widely regarded as Mr Wooden.

However the synthetic drug must have been put in these guys coffee as both Hill and Tatum give terrific performances.

Tatum shows a talent for light comedy and has signs of a personality which have up to now remained hidden.

The script is consistently funny and makes you laugh, the direction is very much spot on. The film does not outstay its welcome and even better, they bag star cameos from an original 21 Jump Street member or two.

Many of the jokes are pushed too far and the plot just gets way too silly in places, but the strong comedic skills of Channing Tatum and particularly Jonah Hill help make this a fairly enjoyable experience.

So if you like Jonah Hill and comedies with really great cameo appearances, I think you would definitely like this film.

I must admit I expected this to be at the same standard as maybe The Change-Up or The Hangover Part II which weren't terrible movies, but they weren't the funniest movies I have seen either. This movie is more on par with The Hangover (the first installment), Superbad and Anchorman.

The chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum is brilliant, and it's nice to see Tatum in something other than his standard rom-com or "rom" setting. I was already laughing from the first scene, which is generally hard to do and the humour was the correct balance of wit and slapstick. There were actually a lot more clever jokes than I expected and there were some scenes were I couldn't even control my laughter in a full cinema.

All in all, I'm not saying this movie is for everyone but the way I would tell you to see it is if you like Jonah Hill's ridiculous dialogue with sometimes unnecessary swears and you have no expectations of it being anything like the original TV show, I would definitely recommend this one! Best comedy film I've seen at the cinema in 2012.