21 Jump Street (2012) Review

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Synopsis:

They’re too old for this shift.

A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.

Review

Jump Street. For those of you who don’t know, 21 Jump Street is based on the 1987-91TV series. I have never watched it, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I had seen the trailer only once and thankfully it didn’t give much away. I was surprised after so many years they decided to create a film out of the said series. Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn’t and should have never gone to cinemas. I am happy to report that the film is incredibly fun and has quite a barrel of laughs.

Our story begins with the introduction to our lead protagonists. Each with their own characteristics to keep them both different, they meld well together and have a great buddy chemistry which is important when two unlikely stars are teamed up together. Once the two leads have been established (aka join Jump Street), we are then introduced to a host of different and zany characters; this film has a truck load, all adding to the comedic element of the film.

The main plot of the movie is slightly clichéd, but what makes it stand out is how it progresses. When you think it may go one way, it could go another. It follows the usual forte of a buddy cop movie; however it did deviate from the tracks to mix things up and held its own.

The film is situated 90% in a school curriculum so you can expect a few school situations to be going down and it’s really funny to watch the leads try fit in. We are taken to a few other locations, but nowhere for too long before it’s back to school. The camera work is a pretty, standard affair, with a few crazy effects added sporadically.

I am going to call the “special effects” comedy in this review. If it’s one thing this movie should make you do, it’s laugh…AND out loud! There is a whole host of different comedic situations which make this film really amusing. The banter and one liner’s are awesomely funny, as is each character and the way they act them out. It all fits very well. Some of the comedy can be a bit raunchy or cringe worthy, but it does cater for a wide selection of humour. I noticed everyone in the cinema having a good ‘ol hoot at many, if not all the scenes involving mirthful innuendo. It isn’t all comedy though, so don’t expect to laugh from beginning to end.

If I had anything bad to say about the movie, it would be that some scenes are extremely random and don’t hold any meaning to the film even though they try and make it seem so. I am not sure if they did this to throw the viewer off as it didn’t feel entirely right. Some of the characters who are supposed to be actual students don’t really come off that way either. Small gripes and I am sure it won’t detract you from the movie.

At the end of the day, “21 Jump Street” is an extremely fun ride! Loads of laughs, funny and serious situations, kooky characters…feeling like a good laugh? Go watch this film! It has done well at the box office earning a profit of $94Million on a budget of $42 Million.

Worth the watch if: You are a fan of comedies, looking for zany cop film or are fans of the cast.

Trailer

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