Movie review: More of the same in zany, self-aware sequel ‘22 Jump Street’

The end credits alone are enough reason to watch this film. They may be the greatest end credits sequence of all time. Oh, but there’s so much goodness before them.

"22 Jump Street" sets itself forward to become the sequel to end all sequels, the uber-meta-sequel. It is self-aware, conversant, and self-deprecating of its existence. It knows that people want more of the same, people expect the same kinds of gags and fun, but bigger. One of the admirable things is that this treads the same plot points and emotional beats as its predecessor, but it manages to inject fun, wit, and a lot of entertainment nonetheless.

"21 Jump Street" took on the idea of reboots and updates, the modernizing of old properties to cash in with a new audience. It also revitalized the buddy cop genre by finding two actors who have amazing chemistry and letting them riff off each other. "22 Jump Street" calls in Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill to reprise their roles as Schmidt and Jenko, and as promised sends them to college.

The movie stresses that they are doing the same thing. They are infiltrating the campus, posing as students, and trying to catch the supplier of a new drug. Being exposed to college life means that the two explore different subcultures, and Jenko winds up with the jocks and fratboys where he feels he fits in and Schmidt starts hanging with the artsy crowd.

Like in the first film, it’s as the two join different cliques that they feel their friendship strained and threatened. Where the movie works so well is that even though the film itself is incredibly self-aware, its main characters are sincere and genuine. It milks so many laughs from this, and the actors deliver so well with the laughably tender moments between their characters. Jenko and Schmidt talking about their friendship as if it were a romantic relationship leads to a lot of laughs. And even as the characters go through something we might think is painful for them, the movie presents it with enough humor so that it is charming and fun.

There isn’t much plot or story to this movie. That’s probably the point. The movies that it riffs on followed simple buddy cop formulas. Complications between the partners, revelations in the case, dead ends and new leads. To look for innovations there would be pointless in the context of the movie then.

What to watch here are the gags, the wackiness, the goofball stuff that the movie manages to pull off. There’s a manic intensity to the way that it puts together all these different gags, and it’s truly inspired. The performances of Tatum and Hill help to elevate it even further. These two show that they can not only play off of each other, but they are game to work with whatever zaniness the movie can throw at them.

This zaniness can come in the form of over the top party gags, which when cut against each other provide laughs. Or it can come from some visually arresting fight sequences. One of the most inventive fight sequences here happens amidst spring breakers, as Tatum grabs one of them and uses her in the fight. I can’t properly describe it, but it’s the kind of thing that makes me want to watch this movie a few more times.

"22 Jump Street" is the sequel of a reboot. By pedigree this means it should be some cash-in crap. Instead it is inventive and original, willing to poke fun at itself, tip a hat to its predecessors (not just "21 Jump Street" but action and comedy movies from all over), and deliver something that feels fresh. Most importantly, the movie is loads of fun. You can tell that the filmmakers and actors were having fun making this movie, and I am sure people in the theatre will have fun with it too. — BM, GMA News

"22 Jump Street" is now showing in Metro Manila theaters.

The views expressed in this article are the author's own.