22 Jump Street

22 JUMP STREET

Directors : Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

Year : 2014

Genre : Action Comedy

Rating : ***1/2

'22 Jump Street' is the sequel to 2012's unexpected hit '21 Jump Street', which was in itself a reboot of the quirky 1980's teen drama of the same name; made famous only by a recurring appearance from a then- little -known actor called Johnny Depp. Once again starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as undercover cops who must this time infiltrate a college rather than a school to expose a drug ring, the movie basically repeats the plot of the first film a la 'Muppets Most Wanted'. As the picture itself says, ''Do the thing you did the last time. That will make everyone happy.'' What follows is a very funny and slyly clever send up action films, cop films and sequels in general.

While the jokes come thick and fast from the entirety of the cast which includes Ice Cube, Rob Riggle, Peter Stormare and Amber Stevens, it is Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum who provide '22 Jump Street' with a huge majority of it's energy and drive. As a pair, Tatum and Hill work extremely well together and their on and off screen chemistry is in plain sight. But while the film is filled with explosion filled set pieces and high octane partying, '22 Jump Street' also gives it's central characters a bit of time to explore their bromance and respective loyalties, making for some moments of surprisingly genuine emotion and heartfelt empathy. 

Fresh off the simply perfect 'The LEGO Movie', directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have created a film which is in both execution and technique miles ahead of many of the recent comedy sequels churned out by Hollywood and while it may not be as consistently funny as it's superior predecessor, '22 Jump Street' is still a wonderfully entertaining and delightfully silly postmodern romp that takes advantage of the comedic talents and the chemistry between its two leading men as well as the done to death conventions of its genre.