22 Jump Street review

BEST NEW FEATURE

So I've finally caught the sequel to 2012's 21 Jump Street. It's hilarious. If that's all that matters, you're done here. Otherwise, read on.

22 Jump Street is even funnier than the previous film. It's a self-aware parody of the archetypical Hollywood sequel, and exaggerates many of its own tropes to great effect. In addition, the underlying story is stronger, and while it doesn't allow for much genuine dramatic tension, the movie benefits from that more often than not.

In particular, the script is often gleefully melodramatic. There are numerous scenes of tension between the main leads, and they're written in such a matter that the film at times resembles a romantic comedy-a "bromantic comedy", if you will. It's filled with typical breakup idioms rewritten to be cop puns, and the main characters are mistaken more than once for a gay couple.

The jokes otherwise frequently make reference to the typical pitfalls of a big-budget sequel, specifically the tendency for the sequel to have its story recycled from the first one. This is a running gag through the movie. They drain every bit of comic mileage out of the concept of doing the same thing again, to the extent that it's a major plot point. At no point does the joke get tired, though, as it remains consistently clever throughout.

22 Jump Street is not without pop culture references. These jokes only make up for a small amount of the film, and even then they're usually executed in a manner that makes them funny for reasons other than the reference. A lot of the humour in the movie, in fact, succeeds partially because of its delivery. The direction is consistently on point, enhancing the already humourous script, and-being a buddy cop movie-delivering some wonderfully choreographed action scenes.

The excellent chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum carries over to the sequel, and in fact might be even better here because of the written-in friction between their characters. Tatum as officer Jenko fits in neatly with the fraternities of college, whereas Hill's Schmidt is forced to hang out with the less "cool" kids by way of not being enough of a frat-dude to accompany Jenko. Both actors, as well as the supporting cast, appear to be having a great time, and Ice Cube in particular gives an even more charismatic and-dare I say it-badass performance than the first movie.

The only real problem I had with 22 Jump Street was the use of cringe comedy. Some jokes were based on embarrassment of our main characters, which caused them to be slightly less pleasant than other scenes. However, even these jokes are funny, so although they inspire a cringe, they at least have a hilarious payoff.

This is a confident, accomplished sequel that builds upon the strengths of the first movie and improves upon them, proving to be everything fans would have hoped it could be and more. It may be one of the funniest comedies of the summer, and will definitely entertain you for a few hours at the movies.

9/10

There will be no extended thoughts for this film as it would just wind up being a list of favourite scenes.