Although this looked, by all indications, to be just another empty cash-in on a familiar franchise from thirty years ago, in reality it's a completely self-aware semi-satire that's funnier than it has any right to be. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum take their roles about as seriously as the film does itself (read: not at all) but still manage to develop a weird sort of chemistry as a helplessly stupid, modernized odd couple. It's to be expected that they'll stumble and bumble their way to the head of a major criminal organization. But rather than trying in vain to avoid the cliches inherent with such a familiar premise, 21 Jump Street completely embraces them and actually dictates its decision to do so. Maybe the best example of this is in Nick Offerman's all-too-brief cameo, as he stares down the lens and deadpans a monologue about recycling thin gimmicks from the past. For storyline purposes, he's talking about the department resuscitating the Jump Street undercover program, but it doesn't take a grin or a wink to know what he's really on about. He grins and winks anyway. As a parody of everything from its genre to its audience, this is pointedly effective stuff. It struggles to develop into anything more serious, but that's not really the point.

The Jump Street reboot, amazingly, just works. Lord & Miller were somehow able to completely nail this, to my shock, and now a _21/22 Jump Street_ re-watch is a yearly occurrence in my household.

_Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time._