21 Jump Street
Not to be confused with the 1987 TV series of the same name
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 "You two sons of bitches, are going to High School."
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21 Jump Street is a 2012 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (in their live-action directional debuts), written by Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall, and starring Hill and Channing Tatum. An adaptation of the 1987–91 television series of the same name by Stephen J. Cannell and Patrick Hasburgh, it was released theatrically on March 16, 2012, by Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A sequel, titled 22 Jump Street, was released on June 13, 2014, and in 2015 a female-led spin-off was in development.
Plot
When cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) join the secret Jump Street unit, they use their youthful appearances to go undercover as high-school students. They trade in their guns and badges for backpacks and set out to shut down a dangerous drug ring. But, as time goes on, Schmidt and Jenko discover that high school is nothing like it was just a few years earlier -- and, what's more, they must again confront the teenage terror and anxiety they thought they had left behind.
Why It's a Jumpy Street
- The idea of the story about the group of friends who graduated High School and being undercover cops is a pretty cool idea for the most part.
- Some great characters such as
- Schmidt is a smart student who gets good grades and helps Jenko pass the Police Academy.
- Great acting from Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube, Rob Riggie, Brie Larson, and Dave Franco.
- Great soundtrack composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, with a few official songs from Ice Cube added to the mix.
- Many action scenes are awesome, such as the gunfight scenes.
- Some funny dialogue such as:
- Jenko and Shmidt reading the Miranda rights, and then saying "fuck you yeah!" at the end of it.
- Two of the characters from the original TV series return as cameos such as.
- Johnny Depp as Thomas Hanson.
- Peter DeLuise as Doug Penhall.
- This film is a good comeback of the original 1987 TV series of the same name.
- Mr. Walters being the drug supplier in the film, is rather an interesting twist. Since he did it to get some money to pay off his alimony to his wife.
- The ending, in which Captain Dickson says "You two sons of bitches, are going to college" became true since it did happen in the sequel.
- Awesome cinematography.
- Good direction by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the same guys who directed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (which was also distributed by Sony/Columbia Pictures).
Bad Qualities
- Some rather inappropriate humor, such as the party scene where a character draws a penis on a childhood picture.
- Some noticeable product placements such as Doritos, multiple Sony products, and Jansport.
- The pacing of the film, while well done, is rather slow during the beginning, but gets faster throughout the film.
- While Thomas Hanson and Doug Penhall do return as cameos, they get killed off as soon they get introduced, meaning they get no character development.
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, the film has an approval rating of 85% based on 227 reviews and an average rating of 7.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A smart, affectionate satire of '80s nostalgia and teen movie tropes, 21 Jump Street offers rowdy mainstream comedy with a surprisingly satisfying bite.". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 41 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.