22 Jump Street – 4.5/5 – Movie Reviews by Ry!

22 Jump Street – 4.5/5 – There really isn’t much to say as a prologue to this film.  Straight to the point; A comedy sequel (born out of … just because), is this summer’s most outrageous, over-the-top, funniest film of the year.

Premise: High School is over for Schmidt and Jenko; and it’s time for college.   Undercover as college students; they must find the drug’s dealer before it reaches the masses; with hilarious results.

Returning to the roles of the dual buddy cops; you have Jonah Hill as Schmidt and Channing Tatum as Jenko.  These two actors return with ‘high expectations’ to create something funnier than what they did in the first film.  They do not disappoint in the sequel.  Hill and Tatum have come into their own as Schmidt and Jenko.  Brothers born out of circumstance, their relationship in the film is so wonderful, that all the jokes they have are not only hilarious, but it brings an authenticity to their relationship.  There is a layer of real ‘brotherhood’ to their characters.  This layering helps create a connection the audience can enjoy, but also provide a depth that ‘flaws’ them as people.  This is a rarity to see in a comedy, especially a sequel.  This fine line helps bring out the purity in certain moments, and show a real attachment to what is happening in the film.  This combination makes the comedic situations feel all so ‘fresh’ while making you laugh hysterically throughout your experience.  Outside of these two, you also have Ice Cube returning to as Captain Dickson and Nick Offerman as Deputy Chief Hardy.   They are supporting characters like before, but when they have the screen time, they do not disappoint.  Their comedic timing is so perfect, that it provides a good ‘jolt’ to the film when things get really ridiculous.  Their characters might not have the depth as the main two, but they provide enough to add color and intrigue to the film.  Outside of these four, you have some notable cameos and other supporting characters, but they don’t do much than provide ‘plot points’ for either the story or comical elements being portrayed on screen.

The direction of this sequel takes on a very unique threading for being a comedy and sequel.  The film takes a multi-layered approach; bringing the audience into feeling the ‘inside joke’ of this film being a sequel while also ‘spoofing’ the story for being a sequel.  This strange combination brings us a perfect balance within the generic script it employs, while staying fresh with the comedic elements.  Also, the film doesn’t stick with a certain kind of comedy.  It provides us with many different types:

Situational

Slapstick

Ironic

Improv

Smart

Cartoonish

The film does a fantastic job in providing so many different techniques, without being overbearing to one or another.  As mentioned earlier, for all the wonderful usage of ‘technical’ aspects in the direction, the story is very generic.  From the beginning, till the third act; the film is a basic a rehashing of the first:

Schmidt and Jenko must infiltrate a school, find the drug/supplier and bring them down.

Simple fact, the irony in this being just like the first makes it hilarious to see on screen.  That is created through the ‘inside joke’ mantra provided by the all the characters.  This is a slick but welcoming approach; as it causes the audience to forget the fact it is the same movie.  Pretty much, you’ll be laughing your asses off through the first two acts of the film.  You are engrossed through the great chemistry between Schmidt and Jenko, as well as their interactions with all the supporting cast.  The dialogue they have is fresh, unique and hilarious to the core.  With the point of every comedy to make you laugh, it succeeds.  Eventually the film starts to drag at points, and slows down.  This is when the ‘beating of the head’ of being a sequel starts to rear that ugly head of being an annoyance.  This happens in the ‘bridge’ between the second and third act.  The film is ‘smart’ of this fact, and switches it’s approach in the film.  The story then takes enough twist to take your focus off the generalities and focus on the two cops.  When this happens, the film employs ‘over-the-top’ action, strong situational humor and slick dialogue.  This brings the film back to that perfect balance to its ‘ridiculous’ routes, helping the film end on a very humor fulfilling conclusion.  Once the film ends, you realize that the predictability and thin story don’t matter; laughing from beginning to end was the point of this sequel.

Like most comedies, the visuals aren’t the strongest part of the film.  You basically have the typical shtick that you see in any ‘buddy cop’ styled films.  There isn’t much else to the score as well.  The music plays with the comedy, but for most the running time it is mute at best.

22 Jump Street wall call to being a very deeply moving film; but it will be a really hilarious one.  With a returning cast that are even funnier than before, you will not be disappointed.  I recommend this for any comedy fan; you will have a great time at the theaters.