Film review: 22 Jump Street
The word “franchise” is not used explicitly, but it is embedded throughout this self-conscious film whose entertainment value vastly outweighs mentions of the film’s potential (or probable) sequels. The new episode is creatively titled 22 Jump Street, taking its name from the new address where the unit is based (21 Jump Street had been the site of a Korean church; the new one is Vietnamese, and we also catch a glimpse of 23 Jump Street, “Coming Soon!”), and right at the outset it situates itself very prominently as the second part of the story, as the highlights of 21 Jump Street are paraded onscreen for our benefit and pleasure.
For those who need to get up to speed, here is a quick recap: Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) went to the same high school but never got along. Jenko was the popular jock and picked on the nerdy, brace-wearing Schmidt. After they graduate from the police academy, they are teamed up and go undercover at a high school to find the main dealer of a hardcore drug that is spreading like wild fire. But things have changed since they were at school, and Schmidt is suddenly the cool one.
In 22 Jump Street, they are no longer even remotely credible as teenagers, and so they are sent to college, where a new drug called Why-Phy (short for “Work Hard? Yes. Play Hard? Yes.”) has led to the death of at least one student.
To read the full review, visit The Prague Post. 22 Jump Street is currently on wide release in Bulgaria.
(Still of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in 22 Jump Street. Photo by Glen Wilson – © 2014 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
