One of the best action-comedy movies of the last decade

Rating: 9/10 (25 September 2014)

Action and humor are not stuck on the street during the movie 21 Jump Street; they jump off the screen and come alive for millions to see. Jenko, an athletic, seemingly unintelligent police officer played by actor Channing Tatum, and Schmidt, a brainy, socially awkward policeman played by actor Jonah Hill, must relive their traumatic high school pasts as part of the revived Jump Street unit. As members in the unit, they must go undercover together as high school students in order to stop the spread of a brand new synthetic drug. The carefully balanced action and comedic moments, brought alive by the radiating chemistry between actors Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, combine with an underlying layer of friendship and brotherhood to help mold 21 Jump Street into one of the best action-comedy movies of the last decade.
The tight-rope balancing act between action and comedy is well executed in the film. The directing and production team throws unexpected moments into the action scenes, such as nothing seemingly being able to blow up during the car chase scenes when one would normally expect it to, in order to keep the viewers guessing. When the action starts feeling unoriginal, the script interjects a shot of original humor to capture the audience once again. The writers' lack of fear in using supporting characters to point out unrealistic lapses of realism in their own plot, like Tatum and Hill actually being able to pass as high school students, provides some of these consistent jolts of comedic originality. Likewise, the camera focuses on one of Hill's many brilliant facial expressions—such as the one he has when he realizes he has to take the very drug he is trying to rid the school of—to physically show comedy rather than say it through dialogue. This visual comedy effectively balances instances when the film becomes too action heavy.
Hill and Tatum's ability to quickly bounce jokes off of one another ensures that no scene is wasted. Situations where the two actors are able to have their characters finish each other's sentences—like when Jenko is talking to the motorcycle gang at the start of the film and Schmidt picks up right where he leaves off without any interruption—captures the way everything flows when Hill and Tatum are on screen together. This special quality to 21 Jump Street leaves the audience wanting more witty back-and- forth dialogue out of the two actors, creating a similar effect as the smooth, buttery taste of one kernel of popcorn leaving people wanting more.
Laying underneath the main element of comedy that is prevalent in the film is the development of friendship and brotherhood that builds as the movie goes on. While Jenko and Schmidt seem like they will have trouble simply being fake brothers in their undercover unit, the writers succeed in developing the characters to the point where Jenko selflessly is willing to take a bullet for Schmidt and Jenko is able to trust in Schmidt's shooting ability to get them out of a potential jam. This layer displays the writers' ability to craft a well-rounded, well-developed film where the two are able to call each other a true friend and brother outside of the operation.
Besides delivering action-comedy gold, 21 Jump Street displays an interesting dynamic between two people with polar opposite looks. Sometimes the vibe of society today tells us to quickly write someone off solely based on their outer appearance. This film shows that two people like Jenko and Schmidt who initially seem like they will never click or gel can turn out to have more in common with each other than they have with anyone else. 21 Jump Street showcases the importance of not being too quick to judge a person based on their appearance. After all, you never know who you will form that sibling-like bond with in the end.