It was never going to be easy for Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum to follow up on the success of the 21 Jump Street film with a sequel, but in 22 Jump Street they managed to hit on enough comedy action gold for it to stand once again as one of the funniest films of the year. It’s got a none stop stream of laughs that range from the stupid, to the extreme, to the clever and right back round again, making it a sure fire DVD hit.
Released on the big screen back in June 2014, it went on be released on DVD, Blu-ray and digital download on the 17th November later that year, making it a big shout for stocking filler territory for anyone looking for guaranteed laughs throughout the year. If you’re looking for additional thumbs up for the movie, you’ve only got to look at the front cover of the DVD, which boasts 5 star ratings both Zoo and The Sunday Times, which sort of highlights the movie’s ability to be appreciated from all walks of life.
Building on the story from the previous outing, which itself was a sort of tongue in cheek reboot of the original 80s TV show, 22 Jump Street sees our two heroes, Morton Schmidt and Greg Jenko, taking on a new drug ring, this time in college. It makes for a natural progression for the double, with more than a little parody intent and self deprecating humour thrown into the mix for good measure.
Tatum (Foxcatcher) and Hill (This Is The End) manage to recapture the magic of the first movie with ease, pulling off one of the better on-screen partnerships we’ve seen in a while (at least since 21 Jump Street anyway). It’s added to by even more angry wit from Ice Cube, who manages to get a very cool pun reference part way through the film.
Special shout outs should also go to Nick Offereman, who’s always brilliant, despite playing each part he gets as a variant of Ron Swanson from Parks And Recreation, as well as newcomer to the movie comedy scene, Julian Bell, who’s pretty funny as annoying roommate, Mercedes.
The action scenes are also pretty impressive, blurring the lines between high octane explosions and slap stick mash-ups with a genius that’s a massive credit to directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. There’s high-speed chases, fight scenes, shoot-outs and explosions all contained under the hilarious concept of the movie.
The DVD also comes bundled with a hefty chunk of extras in the form of commentary with Lord and Miller, along with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, plus a secction containing deleted and extended scenes. There’s also a featurette on the director’s vision for the movie and how they worked with Hill and Tatum to make it happen, and a line-o-rama centred around Schmidt and tattoo art.
22 Jump Street DVD review: 4.3/5
