"Down on Jump Street. 37 Jump Street...Wait, that doesn't sound right."

In the light of Channing Tatum's cheeky teaser picture showing the script for '22 Jump Street,' it would only be appropriate for this review to be on its predecessor.

21 Jump Street probably means very little to those in the UK, especially if they are under the age of 30. Essentially it means that Johnny Depp - heartthrob, oddball, swashbuckler - whatever you want to call him was given his breakout role. Cops chosen for their sprightly looks posed as teenagers to crack down on youth crime, but it never really took off here like it did in America. And this hilariously immature comedy is a play on that premise.

The storyline is fairly simple: Worst enemies in high school but now best friends, these two very different and useless cops (Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) screw up one too many times and are sent undercover as students to bust a drugs ring, or as 'Ice Cube' says "infiltrate the dealers, find the supplier."
This requires them to relive their high school years, much to the surprise of Jenko (Tatum) things are the complete opposite.

More than just another stoner movie, co-written by Michael Bacall it is perhaps no surprise that this particular 'teen' comedy has the intellectual edge over films in this genre. The humour varies from slapstick to irony, then back again and then to everything in-between. It is very easy to miss a joke as they come so quickly and frequently that by the time you've finished laughing at the previous joke another is not too far behind and you're laughing again.

One of the best assets of 21 Jump Street is the Tatum/Hill partnership. On paper it just doesn't make any sense. However, on screen the pair are hysterical as that initial mismatch transforms right before our eyes into a brilliant casting decision.

As with most films in the action genre this plays on the conventions associated with them; from the overly long car chase sequence to the mostly anticipated gasoline explosion but with a twist.

This won't be everybody's cup of tea but if you're looking for a light comedy with a couple of twists along the way, and even a little bit emotionally compelling then it's worth a watch.


22 Jump Street is expected for release June 2014.