1st time I watched it I hated it, 2nd time round I loved it!

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2014)

I watched this not long after its release and I found it incredibly tedious and didn't enjoy it at all. Now, after the release and hype of 22 Jump Street I felt like I was missing out so I re-watched 21 Jump Street at the weekend and loved it! It is a very, very funny!
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's on screen chemistry is fantastic. The film starts with them at school and from the start it highlights how completely opposite they are. They have many opposing personalities and attributes but they fit together perfectly. Jonah is the clever, sensible unpopular kid at school and Tatum is the cool, sporty popular kid at school. The film zooms forward 7 years to them both graduating Police Academy and from then, their chemistry really comes to life. Not long after they are sent back to School undercover as students. The whole cast is fantastic, Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum & Ice Cube are the stand outs for me. Ice Cube plays the role that he plays best: the angry, no nonsense & outspoken boss. It is certainly refreshing to see Tatum move away from his rom-com style films he is usually associated with and put in an equally impressive performance. Jonah however plays his usual role with crude jokes and unprovoked use of bad language; this isn't necessarily a bad thing though as it compliments Tatum's character very well.
The best thing about this movie is that it doesn't take itself seriously. It makes many references throughout which mimic action movies and their clichés. The car bonnet slides, the delayed explosions and the use of firearms are a few examples of this. It is a great mix of subtle one liners and slap stick action comedy scenes.
I would certainly recommend this film and I am still struggling to remember why I dismissed this movie as awful upon first watch a couple of years ago!
8/10