'22 Jump Street' review by Jake Boyle
21 Jump Street was a comedic gem that came out in 2012 but managed to elude me for a year, thereby missing out on its a deserved place in the hallowed Captain Raptor Top Ten Films Of The Year. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who must have been working non-stop in order to bring this sequel, The Lego Movie and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 all to the silver screen within 9 months) had achieved a rare feat: a remake (well, in this case a reboot, but it's much a muchness) that's widely regarded as superior to the original.
22 Jump Street lives up to stereotypes of sequels by trying to recreate the first film but with more attention paid to the most popular elements. However, nobody is more aware of this than Lord and Miller, mocking both themselves and the film industry in general with numerous asides about repetition and a lack of originality. This is best seen when Nick Offerman delivers lines like "As if throwing more money at things would make them better" looking almost directly into the camera (ironically, Offerman and his fourth-wall-breaking comments are one of the fan favourites that the sequel places more emphasis on). It's done with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball but more often than not it pays off. A further example of what's either self-deprecation or double standards within the film - I'd opt for the former out of loyalty to the consistently excellent writers - is the blend of common contemporary Hollywood comedy (read: Judd Apatow and associates) with something smarter and more socially aware: there's more than a few (admittedly funny) scenes that hinge around Schmidt and Jenko getting mistaken for a couple, but there's also a pivotal scene in which we're supposed to root for Jenko when he blows both his cover and the investigation due to his outrage over homophobic language. There's typically few female characters, but the film's fight scenes are interrupted by lines such as "if you saw me as a person instead of as a woman". It's having its cake and eating it, but I found it intensely satisfying to have a film, especially a frat-pack comedy, attempting to make a genuinely important point whilst still being light-hearted, and, more importantly, funny about it.
Writing aside, there's still a lot to like about this film. Channing Tatum is absolutely fantastic, both in high energy scenes (running around Jump Street screeching and laughing) and low (his brilliantly appalling Mexican accent). Ice Cube's thundering and berating is also endlessly entertaining, so strangely enough it's Jonah Hill, the performer with the comedy background, who is the least amusing. There's a lot more of the self-aware, parodic humour in this instalment, and while it's definitely amusing, there's a certain warmth that it lacks. This is true of the story and side characters also, neither of which are as interesting or original as last time round. Plus, Hill and Tatum attempting to pass off as college students is nowhere near as funny as them trying to pass off as high school students.
22 Jump Street won't be Lord and Miller's funniest film this year, because of The Lego Movie. Hell, it's not even the funniest college-based comedy featuring Dave Franco and Craig Roberts in supporting roles, because of Bad Neighbours. It's nothing spectacular and it wasn't as good as the first one (as Nick Offerman will so readily remind you), but it's still a hugely funny and enjoyable movie that's definitely worth watching. Additionally, it's nothing if not admirable - by making fun of its own existence it's automatically challenging itself to be better,and through gelastic fake trailers for Jump Streets 23-42, savvy humour and a one or two messages about representation, it's challenging Hollywood too.
21 Jump Street was a comedic gem that came out in 2012 but managed to elude me for a year, thereby missing out on its a deserved place in the hallowed Captain Raptor Top Ten Films Of The Year. Phil Lord and Chris Miller (who must have been working non-stop in order to bring this sequel, The Lego Movie and Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 all to the silver screen within 9 months) had achieved a rare feat: a remake (well, in this case a reboot, but it's much a muchness) that's widely regarded as superior to the original.
22 Jump Street lives up to stereotypes of sequels by trying to recreate the first film but with more attention paid to the most popular elements. However, nobody is more aware of this than Lord and Miller, mocking both themselves and the film industry in general with numerous asides about repetition and a lack of originality. This is best seen when Nick Offerman delivers lines like "As if throwing more money at things would make them better" looking almost directly into the camera (ironically, Offerman and his fourth-wall-breaking comments are one of the fan favourites that the sequel places more emphasis on). It's done with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball but more often than not it pays off. A further example of what's either self-deprecation or double standards within the film - I'd opt for the former out of loyalty to the consistently excellent writers - is the blend of common contemporary Hollywood comedy (read: Judd Apatow and associates) with something smarter and more socially aware: there's more than a few (admittedly funny) scenes that hinge around Schmidt and Jenko getting mistaken for a couple, but there's also a pivotal scene in which we're supposed to root for Jenko when he blows both his cover and the investigation due to his outrage over homophobic language. There's typically few female characters, but the film's fight scenes are interrupted by lines such as "if you saw me as a person instead of as a woman". It's having its cake and eating it, but I found it intensely satisfying to have a film, especially a frat-pack comedy, attempting to make a genuinely important point whilst still being light-hearted, and, more importantly, funny about it.
Writing aside, there's still a lot to like about this film. Channing Tatum is absolutely fantastic, both in high energy scenes (running around Jump Street screeching and laughing) and low (his brilliantly appalling Mexican accent). Ice Cube's thundering and berating is also endlessly entertaining, so strangely enough it's Jonah Hill, the performer with the comedy background, who is the least amusing. There's a lot more of the self-aware, parodic humour in this instalment, and while it's definitely amusing, there's a certain warmth that it lacks. This is true of the story and side characters also, neither of which are as interesting or original as last time round. Plus, Hill and Tatum attempting to pass off as college students is nowhere near as funny as them trying to pass off as high school students.
22 Jump Street won't be Lord and Miller's funniest film this year, because of The Lego Movie. Hell, it's not even the funniest college-based comedy featuring Dave Franco and Craig Roberts in supporting roles, because of Bad Neighbours. It's nothing spectacular and it wasn't as good as the first one (as Nick Offerman will so readily remind you), but it's still a hugely funny and enjoyable movie that's definitely worth watching. Additionally, it's nothing if not admirable - by making fun of its own existence it's automatically challenging itself to be better,and through gelastic fake trailers for Jump Streets 23-42, savvy humour and a one or two messages about representation, it's challenging Hollywood too.
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