Simultaneously a typical and innovative comedy film

Rating: 7/10 (17 August 2015)

Sticking closely to American high-school-movie tropes while simultaneously mocking them is one of the most salient triumphs of "21 Jump Street". Stoner humour is prevalent, swear words are numerous and lashings of typical US slapstick are shovelled in. By making two loser cops graduate high school again, "21 Jump Street" satirises the teen-scene film movement: Jenko and Schmidt have the ability to relive (respectively) the best and worst years of their lives, an opportunity which many would secretly relish. The interest in high-school movies throughout the 80's, provoked by a vicarious yearning to be cool or do things differently, is picked apart here as they realise that everything they knew about high school has changed. The athletic layabouts have been superseded in popularity by intelligent, sensitive and environmentally-conscious teenagers, much to Schmidt's delight and Jenko's chagrin. Their struggle to be accepted becomes more and more consuming as they begin to get distracted from their undercover mission, although any serious moments are often overlooked in favour of easy laughs. The film makes no secret of stupidity – the idiocy of the protagonists is exploited for full comedic effect as their bumbling Inspector Clouseau-esque investigations lead them, more by accident than design, to discover the distributors of high-school drugs in the wafer-thin plot. The shallow genre-mockery would be easily missed by the casual viewer, were it not for one of the best credits sequences I have ever seen: explosions, women's silhouettes and American flags cloak the screen behind a set of polished-metal acting credits in a flagrant action-blockbuster spoof. Self-mockery, showy cinematography and a poor (yet extremely quotable) script render "Jump Street" the "Hot Fuzz" of American comedies, albeit without the cult following.
Music in the film is used primarily to add to the comedy, and although all actors are strong in their roles, there is a sense of tired cliché in the characters of Jonah Hill's awkward geek and Channing Tatum's brooding dullard jock. However, as a reboot of a long-forgotten TV serial, it stays true to its roots – references to the original series pop up in all forms, including the cameos of original actor Johnny Depp, even if most of the allusions would be overlooked by viewers unfamiliar with the series.
There is more to "21 Jump Street" than meets the eye, but not a lot more. Its stand-out qualities are the subtle mocking of asinine blockbuster action-comedies, and the exploitation of the "ideal high-school experience" story concept. Other than this, the film is simply an enjoyable romp full of unpredictable violence and cringe- worthy awkward moments – and it is truly funny.