22 Jump Street Blu-ray Review

     Actors: Peter Stormare, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Wyatt Russell

Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Color, Subtitled, Widescreen

Language: English

Subtitles: English, French

Dubbed: French

Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1

Number of discs: 2

Rated: R (Restricted)

Studio: Sony

Release Date: November 18, 2014

Digital Copy Expiration Date: December 31, 2017

 

        21 Jump Street seemed like a terrible idea, along with The Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky & Hutch and every other television-to-film adaptation from decades past. In the end, it was the film’s unwillingness to take the material seriously which was ultimately the saving grace, which is why it makes sense for the post-modern, self-referential style to carry the sequel into successful comedic territory. Rather than just creating a straightforward second installment in the franchise, this quickly becomes a comedy about the ridiculousness of all buddy-action sequels. The impact of this humor was also far greater before the news of another sequel in the works, especially since the end of this film is dedicated to poking fun at that very prospect.

 

        Picking up where the last film left off, complete with a “previously on” segment in order to remind us that this was once a television show, officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) graduate from being undercover cops in high school to undercover cops in college. With a storyline that is intentionally mirroring the plot from the first film, they pose as college students to try and track down the dealer of a new drug called WHYPHY (Work Hard, Yes. Play Hard, Yes). This time around it is Jenko who fits in, leaving Schmidt to feel left out and cause the inevitable rift between partners.

 

        What humor in the film isn’t derived from making fun of sequels tends to be bromance plot points that make hilarious parallels between the buddy relationship between the cops and narrative expectations typically found in romantic comedies. Although this has been done quite often in recent comedies (I Love You, Man, Pineapple Express), the gags move fast enough to make up for any unoriginality in the screenplay. The saving grace of the film is the ability it has to take absolutely nothing seriously, and to move quickly past the jokes that don’t work.

 

        Although 22 Jump Street is far less amusing the second viewing, this Blu-ray combo pack release has enough extras to add extra incentive for those who saw the film in theaters. The package comes with a digital copy of the film, along with a DVD copy that has a handful of extras. There is a featurette on directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who also contribute to a commentary track alongside stars Tatum and Hill. The DVD also has the now-standard Line-O-Rama featurette, along with five deleted scenes to go with the seventeen additional ones exclusive to the Blu-ray disc, for a total of twenty-two. The Blu-ray also has four additional Line-O-Ramas, Joke-A-Palooza and a featurette on ad-libbing. There is also an assortment of featurettes on the making of the film, though the stronger extras are more humorous and insubstantial. There is a dramatic edit of the film, removing the humor for humor’s sake, and footage of the videos made within the film, such as the football promotional video that Jenko makes.

 

Entertainment Value: 8.5/10

Quality of Filmmaking: 7/10

Historical Significance:  6.5/10

Special Features: 9.5/10