22 Jump Street
Starring: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Wyatt Russell, Amber Stevens, Jillian Bell, Ice Cube
Directed By: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Reviewed by Danielle Muir

[rating: 4.5/5]

Yep, you read that right – 4.5 stars out of 5. Why? Well, because it’s hard to imagine how it could have been funnier.

22 Jump Street is hilariously self-aware, and the beauty comes from the film embracing the fact is a sequel (making it painfully obvious that many fall flat).  It masterfully handes the comedy so that it retains the formula that made the first great, but changing it up just enough. And the fact that it is just wet-your-pants hilarious. That always helps. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are on a dream run that shows no sign of letting up.

The film openly tosses originality to the curb, and clearly states that this is an exact replica of what made the first great – by sending Jenko and Schmidt to the cesspool that is American college.  Their task? You guessed it – find out which college schmuck is supplying new drug ‘WHYFHY’ to the students.

Tatum and Hill are back in fine form, a double act that on appearance alone makes you want to burst out laughing.  Their relationship, having now progressed to a husband and wife level, runs into a few hurdles as its Jenko’s movie to shine – finding his feet in college football and meeting glorious-haired Zook (Russell), his virtual double, whilst Schmidt struggles as the middle-age looking freshman.

There’s a whole ream of quotable lines and memorable scenes, in fact I can’t think of a dud moment in the whole 2 hours.  Ice Cube is his usual moody self (and is an integral part of easily the funniest twist in the movie) and Dave Franco and Rob Riggle return in a vomit-inducing cameo as the now incarcerated Mr. Walters and Eric Molson. There’s also some engaging fresh faces, with Amber Stevens as gorgeous art major Maya, and the incredible Lucas Brothers playing Keith & Kenny Yang – the permanently stoned identical twins across the hall.

But its Jillian Bell who brings the house down as Maya’s roommate Mercedes, whose resting bitch face and peeping tom antics steal every sequence. Without spoiling anything, she has some of the best zingers and snatches scenes away from Hill and Tatum – no easy feat.

There’s montages, there’s one-liners, there’s drug trips, there’s spring break. Everything that should be in this movie, is in this movie. The only flaw is some occasional dodgy green screen, but the stunts are so balls-out one can forgive this crime against VFX.

I can’t fathom how any fans of the first could possibly be disappointed by this sequel. Kudos.