Finally, a sequel which is equal

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2015)

"22 Jump Street" achieves the highest praise a sequel can get, by being as good a film as the original. It succeeds in a different way: the good-natured action spoofing of the first film becomes the subject of knowing scorn towards sequels in general. It's not essential to watch "21" before "22", but a huge amount of its metahumour revolves around direct jokes and subtler references to the first film (and the original TV series). The action is in full swing, this time centered around all aspects of college from the manly fraternities to the beatnik art crowd. The (partially improvised) script is still hilarious; Ice Cube's irate police captain plays a bigger role in the proceedings, creating opportunities for many jokes about NWA. Both character development and plot deliberately follow exactly the same arc as before, presumably to poke more fun in the direction of sequels the world over. Technical achievements in this film are not pronounced, although they are uncommon in this genre of film - the music, lighting, editing and cinematography are all standard quality. The charisma of both Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, along with their bromance and banter, is the main saving grace of the "22 Jump Street". It's not a cinematic marvel, but for absurd action fun and witty metahumour raillery you can't do better than "22 Jump Street".