22 Jump Street

21 Jump Street was the kind of movie that seemed flawless during the first watch, especially when you’re in a group. Every joke seemed ten times funnier and every silly gag seemed all the more original. But when I rewatched 21 Jump Street by myself, I noticed I wasn’t laughing as much. Don’t get me wrong, 21 Jump Street  was still a good, funny movie. I just think it was a bit overhyped at the time of its release, which made me skeptical about 22 Jump Street.

22 Jump Street delivers on the promise of its predecessor’s last line, and puts our favorite bumbling young cops Schmidt and Jenko (the unexpected comedically gold pair of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum) in college. Everyone in the audience and on the set know it’s the same deal as before: find the dealer, infiltrate the supplier. But there’s a certain self-awareness about 22 Jump Street that brings different approach to comedy than we’re used to, similar to that of This is The End. And that’s what makes this sequel stand out as more original and more effectively comedic than the original.

Just like in the last one, Jenko and Schmidt find themselves getting involved with the social scene in their school. While Jenko shines as the college’s new football star and fits right in as a recruit for a fraternity, Schmidt tries his luck at spoken word in one of the film’s best scenes.

I mentioned it before, but what really makes the comedic style of this movie stand out is the self-awareness of the characters. Walking up to the captain’s office and hearing Schmidt say it looks like a “giant cube of ice,” Jenko saying “something cool” as he blows up a helicopter, and the end credits scene showing all the future sequels that are most definitely (but rather unfortunately) not on their way made it clear that everyone involved in 22 Jump Street knew they wanted to make a great movie and have a blast doing it. 

Sometimes there are a few humorless moments, but they’re scarce and easy to gloss over. The majority of the movie is filled with breathtakingly funny moments. As I write this review one month later, I can’t remember many parts I disliked, but I have a slew of memories of the film’s better parts, like forced sexual tension during the final shootout and driving a car through the school’s sculpture garden. So although 22 Jump Street advertises itself as just being the same movie in a new light (the characters make this clear several times with their dialogues), it conveniently left out the part that this follow-up, which could have gone so wrong, was so much better.

Rating: 4/5