Why I Saw It: 21 Jump Street was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2012 box office.
Cast: Jonah Hill's been in my near untouchable category since 2006 or 7 so it should go without saying that I like what he's doing here. It helps that I already like Schmidt from the first movie and he's just as funny this time. Channing Tatum keeps getting better. I'm not sure what his last misfire even was (The Eagle? Maybe White House Down?). Here, he brings back everything that is fun about Jenko and arguably improves upon him. Ice Cube gets an increased role in and it is the smartest decision they could've made as his anger blends perfectly with Schmidt and Jenko's ying and yang situation. Amber Stevens (yes, Ashleigh from Greek) gets a prominent part in this even though she is more of a sounding board for other people to be funny around instead of getting jokes herself (which is a shame). The cast is rounded out with scene-stealers I'd never seen before like The Lucas Borthers, Jillian Bell, and Wtatt Russell. All of them get some great moments. Oh, and there's Nick Offerman saying nothing but meta-commentary. How can you hate that?
Plot: What's the best way to say it's extremely similar to the first movie? Because that's what it is: the same in all the best ways. Switch out High School for college and recast the nerds with a football played and Brie Olsen with Amber Stevens and it's the same. Schmidt finds love. Jenko finds friends. Their friendship is tested. There's a couple shootouts and things explode that have no business exploding. The only thing that me discussing the plot anymore will do is ruin some jokes, so suffice it to say that if you liked the first, you almost have to like the second.
Elephant in the Room: Any sequelitis? The movie is acutely aware of being a sequelitus and uses it as a chance to attack everything that is wrong with sequels (bigger budget with fewer results, relying too much on what worked originally, etc.). In a way, what the original Scream is to scary movies, 22 Jump Street is to sequels. It manages to be the thing (an action comedy) while also commenting directly on the thing. It's quite clever and dense as hell with jokes about sequels as well as complete non sequiturs (there's a great Benny Hill joke in there that especially tickled me).
To Sum Things Up:
This is the most unlikely of franchise revivals and it goes to show that Hollywood's endless rebooting is not bad in and of itself. The writers/directors/producers have to have an idea of something different to do with the idea. 22 Jump Street reminds me a lot of Gremlins 2 in that it is a sequel with an agenda and that agenda is deconstruction. For those of you less concerned with what the movie is doing, let me assure you, this is an extremely enjoyable 2 hours. I'll have no issue with this being the biggest comedy of the summer because, well, what's working against it: two pedigreed leads, strong supporting cast, clever script, red-hot directing duo (fresh of The Lego Movie). I can't find any place for ill-will here.
Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend
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