[Review] 22 Jump Street

Thankfully, this comedy sequel is no Hangover II. The first Hangover film was a gigantic hit, but did anyone ever really think, "I want to see another one of these"? That unnecessary vibe isn't the case with the Jump Street series, as the freshness of the first film proved there's tons of fun to be had with this formula, especially considering Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's wonderfully goony chemistry. Phil Lord and Chris Miller were the masterminds behind the surprisingly great 21 Jump Street, and they're also coming fresh off the surprisingly great LEGO Movie. And with 22 Jump Street, they prove their comedy filmmaking success is no longer a surprise, even though they still manage to surprise. Did that make sense?

22 Jump Street essentially has the same setup as the first installment--Ice Cube commands the brotagonists Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) to take down a mysterious drug supplier, but this time they're infiltrating a college instead of a high school. The film pokes fun at the repeat premise during an opening scene featuring Deputy Nick Offerman, in which the briefing of the mission doubles as a meta-commentary on sequel expectations and their new-found large budget. This continues to be a clever thread throughout the entire duration, and it's handled just right.

Everything is just as entertaining as the predecessor, but it's bigger and even more ridiculous. The college stereotypes are heavily played into, and the script hilariously attempts to reconcile with the PC police on several different occasions. Schmidt and Jenko's relationship becomes deeper as their gravitational bromance intensifies, reaching beyond the brolar system. 22 Jump Street delivers jocular bit after jocular bit, as well as running gags that aren't annoying, and stocks of funny quadruple-liners. Some of the most hysterical moments are too spoilerish to mention, but they induce the type of laughter that makes your stomach hurt in the best way.

Who knows if 22 Jump Street is indeed the last stop, or if there will be a 23 Jump Street? Apparently, there are rumors that Phil Lord and Chris Miller are working on Alvin in the Chipmunks 4, which doesn't sound very appealing, but these two would be the ones to make it surprisingly awesome.

9/10