22 Jump Street (2014)

22 Jump Street is of course the sequel to 21 Jump Street. If you saw the first film, then you know what to expect from this one. They don't deviate from the established formula to much, and even reference that fact through out the movie. In fact the movie constantly commentates on what it is doing, and even criticizes itself throughout. Usually that is not a positive sign, given that and what at first seems like a rehashed story from the last film, is there really any reason to see this one? If you saw Hangover, then saw Hangover 2, you know that simply using the same material does not work. Did 22 Jump Street suffer from the same misfortune? Short answer, probably.

The story this time, Schmidt and Jenko (Hill and Tatum) are sent to college to find the supplier of a new drug called Whyphy. They are to infiltrate the dealer, and find the supplier. During the movie they of course take the drug, party, and one of them feels left out. Exactly like the first film, something Ice Cube tells them over and over again. That and the department having a bigger budget is the ongoing joke of the film. It gets tired quickly, though the fact that they do change up the story and create a somewhat different film did make it seem more relevant in the end. There are small changes at first, this time Schmidt is the one who seems left out while Jenko fits right in. Jenko actually gets the majority of the story in this film. He aligns himself with the football team as they suspect the dealer is on it. Jenko of course accels at the sport and begins to focus on that and his new team mates more then the case. Schmidt once again finds himself a girlfriend and hangs out with the art majors. We don't see to much of what they are doing, but we do get introduced to Jillian Bell's character Mercedes through him. She comes off pretty much exactly like her role in Workaholics, which at first was great. But as she kept showing up, it tended to lose its appeal. The comedy in Workaholics is very different then this movie, and the styling just didn't cross over as well as I wanted it to. Still her first few appearances were a treat.

Is the movie funny, or better, it is more funny then the original? Well if you liked the comedy of the first one, you will enjoy this one. However it is no where near the level of the original sadly. The tone is very different, though it still defaults to immature humor more often then not. In the first film we had plenty of Humor from Tatem dealing with how out of place or idiotic his character was. In this film he is in his element and that awkward humor that came across so brilliantly in the first film is lacking. It also lacks the huge stand out moments the first one had. No Korean Jesus, or any other moments that just stay with you after the film. The bike cop segments at the beginning are something I will always think of when that movie is brought up. That is not to say I didn't laugh through out most of it, but just not as much as the first film. Ice Cube still delivers great laughs, and has a larger role in this film. Nick Offerman uses his straight style of comedy quite well, and still turns in a enjoyable performance. Honestly I felt most of the comedic lacking came from Hill, who is known for comedy. He had a few scenes that drug on for far to long, and some of his bits just didn't seem to connect with me. Still though, a overall funny movie. Just not at the level I enjoyed the first film.

One big thing that I loved about the first film, was the villain. Dave Franco did such a great job on that film, he really helped it along in a big way. Brie Larson was another role that really did a lot for that film. In this movie however we don't have that big villain or a Dave Franco role. And Brie Larson is replaced by Amber Stevens, who does well enough, but her character wasn't as entertaining. This was another reason I felt this film was lacking compared to the first. We don't know who the dealer is in this film until the end, and the overall cast just does not keep my interest the same way the first one did. Franco does make a cameo, though it is short lived and has little comedic impact.

The over all production value of the movie seemed higher. They had bigger scenes and more going on. But it did not really add to the film. The finally was spring break and had helicopters, and fast cars. But it was also the weakest scene of the film. It seemed like maybe they tried to do to much with this one. Add in all the call backs to the first film, and it starts to loose its footing very quickly. While I still enjoyed the movie, and felt it was worth the money I paid for it....I don't see myself ever buying, or even renting it once it comes out on dvd. If you enjoyed the first film, it is worth seeing. But go into it with lower expectations. Also watch the credits, as it spoils the ideas for the next 50 or so Jump Street films in a pretty decent montage.

In the end, it was a solid film. It just failed to live up to the greatness of the original. I should have seen How to Train Your Dragon 2 instead.