Surprisingly funny and much better than expected

Rating: 8/10 (5 December 2012)

As of late there have been few movies that have made me laugh. Specifically comedies that have been able to make me laugh. Recent comedies haven't really been funny and usually require gross out humor to be funny. But 21 Jump Street is a wonderful exception. The movie is funny, entertaining, and it's an overall good movie.
21 Jump Street is a continuation from the original series back in the 80s-90s. What surprised me a bit is that the movie actually recognizes the original series and that understanding the original series is important for one of the greatest jokes/cameos in Hollywood history. Most people were confused as to why I was laughing so hard because they hadn't watched or even known about the original 21 Jump Street.
A nice thing about the movie is that the characters a likable. Comedies with annoying characters are unbearable but this movie has a good cast of characters who I genuinely felt concerned for. The duo of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum was shockingly good. The two played their roles perfectly and it was really nice to see the character development between the two. This was yet another surprising element for me because most comedies don't try to have any important character development but this movie actually succeeded in doing so even though it's not going to be anything like Citizen Kane. It was still a nice addition.
Overall I really enjoyed the movie. The jokes were funny, high- schoolish, and inappropriate but it never used gross out humor and never needed to use nudity or anything in that realm for its jokes. A refreshing comedy.