Same Business Mockery

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2014)

More than once, the characters keep stating that they're doing the same thing all over again. 22 Jump Street as a movie itself is basically an uninspired clone of the first one, except it's bigger and has higher production, but lazily follows the same storyline and delivers the jokes with an only occasional energy (well, at the first act at least). While it's still funny, it only appears as an entertaining yet forgettable sequel. But there is a punchline and a wise sprinkle of self-awareness behind this. Everything you've first thought about it turns out to be the other way around, therefore it's a smart surprising trick that you will end up smiling.
The plot is absolutely no different from the first: the heroes as actual cops messes with a drug business, decides to better off undercover as students to another case, explore around the culture of the generation, friendship gets a loyalty issue, their targets at the first act turns out to be connected with their current mission, goes to a party, finally faced fears, etc. This is not a spoiler, we've already seen this coming. With these same elements coming through, we are immediately assuming ourselves that this won't live up with the quality of its predecessor. It's not only because it's exactly the same, but it also gets a less clever treatment. Example is portraying today's college life doesn't get any much enough clever gags to poke fun of, which is a total contrary to the absurd shift of tolerance in the high school world of the first film. Also their relationship with the students aren't as appealing as the last one, too. The mission however improves with its turns.
But eventually, this is definitely in purpose. It satirizes cash-in movie franchises that throws the same knockout repetitively. Hollywood's bribery to people is the budget and celebrities, the end credits sums that up, and the police station's description with the Jump Street program is an obvious allegory of what's going on. While the million dollar compromise is taken as a joke, the comedic value outside the idea never lacks and indeed they are everywhere. But the genuine value that kept things a lot alive is the chemistry between the lead stars, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. The two continue to shine in their buddy comedy figure and it has become the unbreakable core of these movies.
The main point of 22 Jump Street is to be a large and mediocre sequel like many others out there, except of course with a strong sense of self-awareness. It's not noticeable if it takes its clichés too seriously, but later then you would start to notice that it is all part of the joke. It's not the most smartest thing you'll ever see in the genre, but it sure is a slick thing to pull off. You will still get some great loud laughs within the story and the growth of the best friend relationship between the main characters remains brilliant as usual. If you think that 22 Jump Street is an inferior redux of the first then you are right, but for some reason you could be also wrong.