21 Jump Street is a slick remake of the American television series in 1987-1991 and instead of Jonny Depp, who originally starred in the series and was one of his earlier roles that made him a star, this time it stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as the two leads. The story this time round sees Jonah Hill [Morton Schmidt], and Channing Tatum [Greg Jenko] as undercover cops who pose as high school student to uncover and bust a supplier who is selling a new type of drug to students.
21 Jump Street is a laugh from start to finish and having not seen any of the original TV series I found myself enjoying every minute. It’s a buddy-cop movie with a difference as it features a cocktail of explosive action as well as being an engaging character piece.
The Good:
The film’s main attraction is the fresh faces of the two leads that gel and work perfectly together. They are an odd pair to begin with and don’t necessarily get on but they friendship is the heart of the film. Channing Tatum is the high school jock earlier on in the film and Jonah Hill is the outcast that just wants to fit in and eventually get another chance as they both switch places second time around when they go to school as undercover cops.
The films main highlight is Channing Tatum who is one of the stronger performers here as he skilled in both his acting chops and his comedy timing [there is a great scene at the beginning of the film when the two get their first bust having just graduated from the police academy]. He hasn’t had a performance this good since “A Guide to Recognising Your Saints” and has proven himself to be a potentially great actor and a great comedian.
Jonah Hill stars alongside Tatum and plays the usual outcast as seen in his earlier roles such as “Superbad” and “Accepted”, but still brings likeliness to the character and even some twists as we eventually see him get in with the cool kids headed by Dave Franco. He even gets credit for help writing an excellent script alongside Michael Bacall that is frequently funny and offers some great one-liners and some great set pieces.
The bad:
The only bad thing I can say is that the film sometimes has the tendency to drag from time-to-time but apart from that it remains a solid, fun comedy.
Conclusion:
Overall, 21 Jump Street is a slick buddy-cop movie that offers frequent laughs and great action scenes. The film also offers some surprise cameo appearances too and great performances from the two great leads. It is set to be one of the funniest films of the year so far.
