Sequels are inherently bad. They’re money-grabbing whores hedging their bets on the stupidity and hopefulness of man, and usually coming out on top - at least box-office wise. Sequels that equal or surpass their predecessor in terms of excellence are so rare they’re spoken about in wistful longing tones - sequels such as ‘The Godfather Part 2’, ‘Terminator 2’, ‘Toy Story 2 & 3’, ’22 Jump Street'... Wait, what was that last one? Yes, it’s true, my lords and ladies, another has come.
Borrowing just the title, concept and a few kick-ass cameos from the original television series, 2012’s big screen reboot stole our wallets and our hearts and gave the world Jenko and Schmidt, two of the worst, most adorkable cops we’ve ever seen. Two years later, the police want “the exact same thing”, only it’s not really the same thing. This time Jenko and Schmidt/Doug and Brad McQuad are in college trying to infiltrate the dealer and find the supplier of a new drug sweeping the campus. Their high school escapades saw Schmidt become king of the campus when he made it in with the cool kids, and in college Jenko rediscovers his talents for football and finds his way into a frat, leaving Schmidt neglected and alone, once again fracturing their friendship and professional partnership.
SWITCH: '22 JUMP STREET' TRAILER
Full to the brim with irreverent and self-referential gags about their status as a sequel and the onscreen partnership often being confused as a gay relationship, Hill and Tatum once again dominate this film in the most hilarious way possible. With a bigger budget, as sequels tend to have, the boys engage in bigger chases, bigger explosions, grander locations and just more of everything.
This is the one we’ve been waiting for, people. Enjoy it. There may not be another like it for a while.