Film Review: ‘22 Jump Street’ is a Proud Bargain Bin Blockbuster

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Average: 5 (1 vote)

CHICAGO – “22 Jump Street” is a big budget Hollywood sequel that actively comments on the diminishing returns of sequels. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller know that for every “Lethal Weapon 2,” that manages to surpass the original, there are a dozen “Another 48 Hours”…that try and fail to give audiences an approximation of what they enjoyed before.

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

The original “21 Jump Street” succeeded because it wrapped its own crappy jokes in a cocoon of meta commentary and irony. If anything “22 Jump Street” takes that element to even more hyper self aware extremes, but it also risks becoming its own self fulfilling prophesy.

The plot sends the team of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill undercover in college to sniff out the supplier of a new drug after a young girl’s untimely death. The drug is called why-fy and it offers 4 hours of adderal-type laser focus followed by an acid trip. This time it’s Tatum who falls in with the frat boys and football players. He’s having the time of his life and befriending a quarterback nicknamed zook (Wyatt Russell). Meanwhile Hill falls in with the art student crowd and gets to know a girl (Amber Stevens) who lived across the hall from victim.

“22 Jump Street” opens everywhere on June 13th. Featuring Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Wyatt Russell, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman and Peter Stormare. Screenplay by Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel and Rodney Rothman. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. Rated “R”

StarContinue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “22 Jump Street”

Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum
My Old School: Schmidt (Channing Tatum) and Jenko (Jonah Hill) in ’22 Jump Street’
Photo credit: Columbia Pictures

StarContinue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “22 Jump Street”

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