We have: Starsky and Hutch, Riggs and Murtaugh, Carter and Lee, Batman and Robin, now we welcome: Schmidt and Jenko. Twenty-two Jump Street is a movie directed by the same directors of the prequel, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It stars Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, and Ice Cube. Hill and Tatum is back again, as Schmidt and Jenko, two NARCs who are participating in a program called “Jump Street” which is led by Captain Dickson, a stereotypical mad black captain who is portrayed by Ice Cube. Schmidt and Jenko are back undercover in MC State College, in order to infiltrate the dealers of a new drug called “WhyPhy” (pronounced same as wi-fi), a drug perfect for college students that give them a focus boost to study.
Channing Tatum is really selling his performance as Jenko, probably because he is physically well suited for a stereotypical dumb muscle. Same goes for Jonah Hill, who plays a nerdy hopeless romantic but smart kid. Ice Cube also did an amazing job playing Captain Dickson, a very mad police captain with a spice of black stereotype. The strongest part of this movie is definitely these three characters, mainly for the fact that they are playing themselves. Anytime Ice Cube says something, the audience instantly laughs because of how spot on he plays his character. Same goes for the duo, the chemistry between the two is very strong. For these two movies, the dynamic of their relationship is always being tested and the way they always come back to make things better again always a scene to enjoy and laugh. I really hope these three will be back for sequels to come.
The plot of this movie was alright, it’s not bad or amazing. It’s enough to keep the audiences seated. In my opinion, the story is not as interesting as the first one. The person who died, which sparks the investigation, is not as important as the first one. I feel that there is not urgency given by the movie that made the plot thought-provoking. But I think that is also a strong point of this movie. The movie itself is very self-aware, it has an average plot thus it focuses on character development and comedy.
Also a main point of this movie, is that it is very self-aware. The comedy references that the movie has, gives a tremendous amount of fan service to the audiences. To how Captain Dickson’s office is shaped like a block of ice to the construction of a condominium next to 21 jump street. It keeps the audiences entertained without the actors doing any efforts to produce a comedic effect. I advise everyone that is about to watch this movie to stick until the credit roll ends, you will not be disappointed.
There are some things that I did not enjoy in this movie, the most disappointing aspect of this movie is the drug and the dealers. WhyPhy, the drug is hardly as dangerous as the first one (although the trip sequence was funny). The dealers are also meh, unforgettable at best. I will not spoil some plot points, because if I do it would disappoint you and it won’t matter anyway because the dealers and the drug itself is very mediocre.
Personally, I had an amazing time watching this movie. But, not everyone in the theatre laughed as much as I did. Although I didn’t pay attention to the other audiences, I noticed that they don’t always understand the comedic references that I mentioned earlier. Personally, I’m not sure if they enjoy the movie as I do, but as an average Indonesian it is probably hard to catch the references that the movie offers. Not forgetting to mention the vulgar nature of college life, it would not be found funny for most Indonesians. Also, penis jokes. The movie is not for most of Indonesian audiences. They would enjoy it, but not as much as expected from the western audiences or western-exposed Indonesians. N
My final verdict for this movie is a Four of Five. It is an excellent comedy with great character development, it’s great for teenagers and university students, but do not bring your kids to watch this movie. I am very excited to see 23 Jump Street and the next iterations to come.
Did the writer enjoy this movie? FUCK YES.
Did the writer laughed like a maniac? FUCK YES.
Did everyone else laughed like the writer? Not as much, no.
Was the movie epic? Yes.
Was it a good sequel? Yes.
How about another sequel? YES PLEASE.
Can I bring my kids to watch the movie? No, good God no.
Dagger of the mind. 