22 Jump Street [Blu-ray]

If you're looking into picking up the Jump Street flicks on Blu-ray, I highly recommend checking out the 2-pack set that is on sale for $10 on Amazon as of this writing. Otherwise, 22 Jump Street is the sequel to the hit comedy 21 Jump Street that starred Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum opposite one another as buddy cops. While 22 doesn't do much if anything at all to change the formula it used in the first, it does it all so well and at a breakneck pace that never really allows you a breath to consider what you're watching. I think the only moment of the film that really comes off as strange is in the very beginning when we're shown that the rules of reality do not necessarily apply in this world. From that point on (and even during the initial scenes), we are in for a comedic riot by some old and some new characters.Hill & Tatum again are at their best whenever on screen together. It's truly a match made in heaven watching these two be stupid & awkward in their own ways. It's really interesting to see how far Tatum has come since the first film in terms of his comedic delivery and improvisational skills (though yelling boner isn't what I'd call a skill). While I don't think that either of them reach the peaks of the original film, it's really the supporting cast that carries this film all the way through without it ever becoming tiring. Also, the love interest in Maya played by Amber Stewart is absolutely stunning and nearly steals every scene she is in with her smile & charm. It really helps to give Jonah Hill a little dimension after the last film where he fell super hard for the main girl, and it made him unlikable. This time around, the roles are reversed and Jenko is the one "in the wrong".Peter Stormare is in the film as a drug dealer Ghost, who starts as a minor cameo and builds into a small role in the film along with the main baddie of the film. Jillian Bell is insanely funny as a blank-faced and brutally honest roommate of Amber Stewart's Maya, and also steals most scenes that she ends up being in. Throughout the commentary and special features, she's commended for her talent and comedic ability in playing so well off of Jonah Hill. The two have a scene together where they get in a fight and some awkwardness ensues, which turns out per the commentary was all improv which is awesome. The film has a lot of self-referential and meta-humor, and even some classic type film nerd jokes like the duo driving a mini-helmet care to and fro in front of a "Benjamin Hill" center at their university... classic..Phil Lord & Christopher Miller definitely have a style, and 22 may be the very embodiment of their sense of humor. What's really cool is that it seems they let Jonah Hill really take the reigns when it comes to the improv and adding jokes to scenes that were not written. Several times throughout the special features they show where they tried alternate jokes, and you can even hear Jonah whispering to the actors what lines to try next. It's clearly why this film is so funny because they don't stick to the pages, and really run with the feel of the moment when filming. The best Special Feature on here, and one of the reasons that both of these films have proven to be great purchases, is a multi-angle breakdown of a scene with Rob Riggle.Riggle is frequently mentioned in the commentary for the first film as being unbelievably funny and counter to what his character is in the film. Hill seems to admire him in a way that the others do not understand, and it's great to watch this Special Feature of them filming a scene straight through with no breaks. They break character quite a few times and are cracking each other up, and you can see just how funny they can be when they get rolling. Ice Cube again performs as the angry captain who has even more stake in the case this time, and has a few more classic moments. I don't think 22 has as many quotable lines as 21, but there are so many hilarious moments that I keep chuckling back to after watching.22 Jump Street is a riot, and it's worth sticking around after the credits to see a post-credits scene. Also during the primo-credits we get to see a few of the deleted scenes used as scenes from the many future sequels they have "planned" with this creative team. At one point even Seth Rogen and others get in on the fun, and I really wouldn't mind seeing any of the films they joke about at the end here. Honestly, I think you could put these 2 main actors in nearly any situation or movie and they're going to make it funny. Between Channing's deadpan delivery of lines like "I thought we had Cate Blanchett", meaning carte blanche, and Jonah's never-ending reel of alternate jokes, there really is no dull moment. 22 is a sequel in every way, and unabashedly so, but doesn't wear out its welcome at all.Blu-ray copy came in perfect condition with a DVD copy and digital copy. Again, at the time of this writing there is a 2-pack of both films in the franchise for $10 and is absolutely worth the cost of admission. Of course, if you're only looking for 22 and already enjoyed 21, this is absolutely must-see! Another comedy classic from this team...

Muy buena película

There's a running gag throughout Phil Lord and Chris Miller's hilarious 22 Jump Street that it's basically your typical sequel, ripping off the same old jokes and situations while just making things bigger. The more Meta the film gets the funnier it is, and the truth is that they aren't really lying. Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill are back as best buds and keystone coppers Jenko and Schmidt; they're busting up another student-run drug ring; and the same polarizing forces that broke the duo up the last time are again in effect. But you know what? You'll be laughing too damn hard to care that sometimes 22 Jump Street feels a little familiar, especially since that is kind of the point.What Lord and Miller have done is up the ante on a follow-up nobody thought would ever happen. The "inside joke" of 21 Jump Street was that it was always sort of destined to fail being a remake of a silly TV show few actually watched. So 22 Jump Street cuts loose and indulges in the bombastic and formulaic nature of movie sequels, dutifully ripped through the welcome return of Nick Offerman's deadpan police sergeant. He tasks Jenko and Schmidt to basically do the exact same thing as before, shipping them off across the street to 22 Jump Street where the unit has taken up shop at the bigger, gaudier Vietnam Church appropriately described as something Iron Man would love.When the perpetually angry and arguably even angrier Capt. Dickson (Ice Cube) ships them off to college to find the supplier of a new designer drug, Jenko and Schmidt are thrust into a campus life they are ill-equipped to handle. Not only aren't they fooling anybody because of their obvious advanced age, but they begin to feel the pull of the social pecking order. Jenko joins the football team and becomes friends with Zook (Wyatt Russell, a dead ringer for his father Kurt), the squad's QB and potential suspect in the case. Meanwhile, Schmidt is feeling left out until he hooks up...in more ways than one...with brainy art student Maya (Amber Stevens) who brings him more trouble than expected.And it's to Lord and Miller's credit, along with the trio of screenwriters, that for all the intentional riffs on what came before, there is still plenty left to be discovered. So yes, we get the token "bad drug trip" scene, which is still pretty funny when those are usually phoned in, and the plenty of Michael Bay-inspired action sequences. But we also get a lot more of Ice Cube as Dickson is woven into the plot in a way that powers the humor for the entire second half. There are so many jokes that a second or third viewing will be necessary to catch them all and even then it may not be enough.Say what you want about Channing Tatum but he'll do literally anything he's asked to do comedically. While he still has great chemistry with Hill, who continue to seem like the bestest buds ever, Tatum shoulders much of the physical and emotional burden here. We've seen this same "falling for a girl out of his league" storyline for Schmidt before, but Jenko is finally in a place where he is truly comfortable and not a fish out of water. It causes some interesting friction between the two partners that is played up nicely for a while, but then becomes just an endless stream of tiresome homoerotic jokes. With all of the trouble Hill has had with the LGBT community lately the frequent use of gay humor seems misplaced, and certainly isn't edgy. More than just Hill, Tatum, and Cube get in on the fun. The supporting cast never lets us down, and we may be looking at a Rebel Wilson-style breakout from Workaholics star Jillian Bell as Maya's grumpy roommate.You'll want to stick around throughout the awesome credits teasing an increasingly ridiculous string of sequels (2121 Jump Street? It's a thing.) that you'll really want to see happen. Whether Jenko and Schmidt eventually head to 23 Jump Street (hey, it's right next door!) we'll find out soon enough, but for now 22 Jump Street is a sequel that lives up to an incredibly high standard.