21 Jump Street

I was more skeptical about this film than any other in recent memory. To re-boot a TV show into a comedy/action film starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill was just the tip of the iceberg for me. Then the first trailer came out and I was left almost horrified. Then another trailer and my demeanor started a long u-turn, that with enough read articles and watched TV spots, along with the totally unexpected R rating, it landed my butt in the theater on opening day. It also didn't hurt how well this film is being reviewed. This is the type of film critics love to hate, yet they just love it. I can almost guarantee all critics had a single turning point during the film, much like my journey. It would be when Parks and Rec's Ron Swanson uses his 3 minutes of screen time to deliver a great speech about rehashing ideas due to the impoverished think tank of today's generation. Up until that point every second of the film I had just watched, I and you, had already seen in every trailer. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. Actually it was quite refreshing and this is why. In the first 15 minutes basically witness all the trailer footage, so anything after that is just icing on the cake. I was excited about seeing a film where they don't give away all the good parts in 2.5 minute TV spots. It also helped with the flow. Being a buddy cop comedy, we didn't need to spend a lot of time watching these goofs train and build a relationship up from nothing. It is the classic tale of two guys who bring way different attributes to the table to form a supercop...sort of. When Jenko (Tatum) and Schmidt (Hill) are out in the undercover program called "Jump Street", they had no idea what they were in for. They get to go back to high school to uncover a drug ring. The story line is very strong and the jokes are equally strong. Plus the writing is brilliant. Here we have a guy who was awesome at High School, and another guy, well, not so much. What a difference 7 years can make.Much like Bill Madison, High School is not what it used to be and this vexes our heroes. One is all for the changes and the other is just confused about everything. We do get to see Holly Robinson Peete pretty early on, and though I am not versed with the TV show, It was pretty easy to detect the other cameos. The dialog just sarcastically suggested these "characters" had been here before. Now, I know the big question is, was Johnny Depp in it? That I cannot divulge. Not because I don't want to spoil the fun for any of you, but because I have no Earthly clue who the Hell that is. This film is cliche to the 10th degree, but that does not matter at all. The directors, in my opinion, must be HUGE Edgar Wright fans. He did Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. They put together a great film with good visuals and some out of the ordinary visual effects that played a lot like a video game. HMMMM? Now, these buffoons must infiltrate some drug dealers and find the supplier before this new drug gets beyond the high school walls. It turns into a harsh lesson of everyone involved taking a step back and seeing themselves for how they are or were in their lives. Like I said, Cliche. I would definitely watch this again, and if a Blu Ray with loads of extras and alternate ending and what not comes out, I may just buy it. It is already set up for a sequel, which sight unseen, I would watch. And one last thing, this film further solidifies my current man crush on Tatum. he is a funny guy who can also be dramatic and pack the action. 2012 is the year of Channing. I have only seen 5 movies in the theater this year and he has been in 3 of them. Now, on to GI JOE.
NBM rates 21 Jump Street - A Very Strong Phenomenal