22 Jump Street (2014)

22 Jump Street: Directed by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller. With Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Peter Stormare, Wyatt Russell. After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.

“If thereu0026#39;s one criticism I have about 22 Jump Street, itu0026#39;s that the movie feels too similar to 21 Jump Street. But is that really a complaint? With 22 Jump Street, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (The LEGO Movie) have created a massively entertaining ride, with more antics from the characters we love, and better performances all around.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis time around, theyu0026#39;re going to college. Yeah, yeah, weu0026#39;ve heard it before. As Ice Cube says at the end of the first film, in which the two went undercover at a high school, the tables have been turned and theyu0026#39;re going to college now. Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) must once again go undercover at MC State to bust another drug operation, this time called WHYPHY (work hard? yes. play hard? yes.)u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat worked with 21 Jump Street works again in 22 Jump Street. The excellent characters of Schmidt and Jenko are once again paired to make a hilarious and charismatic duo. Their personalities clash once more, but in a different way than the first film, and they get into even more crazy shenanigans than before. This includes having a shootout in the university library and busting a Spring Break beach party. 22 Jump Street always keeps you on edge, wondering what will happen next. While the plot is pretty standard and similar to the first film, youu0026#39;ll want to stick around because you love these characters so much. New characters such as Zook (Wyatt Russell) and Mercedes (Jillian Bell) feel right at home within the crazy cast. Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) is also in rare form, delivering some of the filmu0026#39;s best moments.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is a testament to Hill and Tatum, who put so much work into creating these characters. Jenko settles into the football team, and makes friends at a fraternity, while Schmidt performs slam poetry and does many walks of shame. Hill and Tatum are in top form. Their chemistry is better than ever, making 22 Jump Street a hilarious buddy comedy. Try not to laugh when Schmidt does slam poetry to impress a girl, I dare you.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat makes 22 Jump Street feel special is its self-referential attitude and countless meta jokes. Police chief Hardy (Nick Offerman) essentially explains why this movie was made within the first 10 minutes, saying u0026quot;no one cared about the Jump Street reboot, but you guys got lucky.u0026quot; Itu0026#39;s a funny way to be self-deprecating and hilarious at the same time. It plays to the audienceu0026#39;s intelligence, rather than making them feel stupid. Other references are more subtle, like when Schmidt keeps asking about the filmu0026#39;s budget. It all plays into a very interesting and unique humor style. While there are plenty of raunchy jokes (right in the crack), the filmu0026#39;s best come from its self-referencing.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo, now for the all-important question: is 22 Jump Street better than the original? With its meta jokes and its excellent characterization, 22 Jump Street is a rousing success, and matches the original in sheer humor. But the plot feels too similar to the original. While this may be a fault in the filmu0026#39;s format, a few more twists would have been appreciated. Still, 22 Jump Street is a hilarious ride, one definitely worth taking.”