In a season loaded with dreadful sequels, 22 Jump Street is a surprise treat for comedy fans.
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| "Hey Owen Wilson! Stop looking at my balls." |
A couple years ago when the first Jump Street movie was being released, I passed it off as another bad comedic satire of a show that aired during my youth. Due to my poor judgement, I missed it in theaters. Several months later, it made its way to blu ray and to my shock and amazement, it was a well planned ninety minutes of humor that played off the original idea and took it in a whole new direction. Unlike other attempts like Starsky and Hutch or The Dukes of Hazzard movies, 21 Jump Street turned out the laughs at breakneck speeds while re-infusing the tired buddy cop comedy genre with two natural talents playing off each other perfectly.
Well, 22 Jump Street takes the laughs to a whole new level with a smarter, funnier, and edgier sequel that further proves Channing Tatum is not only a good actor but is continuing to grow as a dynamic performer that takes his work very seriously. In 22 Jump Street, Tatum and Hill define themselves as a naturally fit duo, doing their damnedest to make audiences laugh with an unbelievable story about thirty year old men infiltrating another drug ring while embellishing in the excesses of a college campus. The results are even better than the first Jump Street flick as Tatum and Hill push beyond the modern standard of toilet humor with a movie that's way better than Seth MacFarlane's painful western spoof or any other comedy released this year. You'll have no choice but to laugh at the socially awkward hijinks that ensue.
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| "Yo. Anyone seen those chicks from Spring Breakers? We're ready to party Alien style!" |
22 Jump Street is exactly how a movie like this should be done. Instead of lingering around reminding audiences of the former tv show, it builds its own foundation on these two new characters and doesn't waste time playing off repeated jabs at the original. We get two inane cops that have nothing in common with the source material other than their age...because they're definitely not as smart as the characters from television. Do kids today even realize that this is based on a tv show? Probably not. And that's an okay thing. This is a new Jump Street with bitches that kick ass, sexual innuendo, and a raw sense of humor that offends but still remains respectful of its audience.
If you want to laugh out loud with a few hundred people in a theater, 22 Jump Street is the comedy to see this weekend. Channing Tatum continues to prove his worthiness as an actor while Jonah Hill sheds his Wolf of Wall Street persona to once again relish in absurd escapist cinema. If you liked the first, you'll find this one two times as funny.
-CG