# 21 Jump Street - Blu-ray review



## Peter Rygiel (Jan 21, 2010)

*[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8906[/img]Title: 21 Jump Street
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman
Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Written by: Michael Bacall, Jonah Hill
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Rated: R
Runtime: 109 min
Blu-ray Release Date: June 26 2012

Movie :5stars:
Video :2.5stars:
Audio :4stars:
Extras :3stars:
HTS Overall Score:* 71.5


*Movie:*

In high school bullying confident jock Jenko (Tatum) and typical smart nice guy whose rapport with the [img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8909[/img] ladies was pretty dismal Schmidt (Hill) were merely schoolmates who knew each other. Their relationship adhered to the classic high school law wherein jocks openly make fun of nice guys who simply lie down and take the insults. Their lives were both very different in high school, but both graduated under unwanted circumstances. Post-graduation Jenko and Schmidt meet again as recruits at the same police academy. They put their past history aside to help each other pass all the required physical and academic tests and eventually graduate as proud men in uniform. Their dreams of being bad-, answer-to-no-one cops are dashed when the detail they're given is partners as park bicycle officers. After wildly celebrating their first arrest the guys are called in to see their commander Deputy Chief Hardy played by Nick Offermann (this guy is funny just sitting at a desk) for some harsh news. Their ineptitude in following basic arrest procedure resulted in the criminal being set free. Dumb as they might be in arresting people their youthful appearances are a perfect fit posing as undercover cops in a local high school. Hardy orders them to report to 21 Jump Street where they meet their new boss, a very vocal, demanding, and direct, Captain Dickson (Ice Cube). Cube plays his role as the stereotypical angry Black captain with authority and adds some humor to the role by self-declaring he’s such. 

Dickson informs them that a synthetic drug at a local high school has become all the rage and is causing [img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8907[/img]the students to go loopy. Their objective is to infiltrate the school as registered students, find the dealers and bring down the suppliers and prevent the drug from spreading to any other high schools.

The premise as a comedy is a great idea and works right from the start. The comedic chemistry between Hill and Tatum is instantaneous. From the moment they're paired for park patrol duty the laughs never stop. Tatum's filmography is mostly comprised of serious macho roles, so doing comedy was probably outside his familiar zone, but everything about his performance works. 

As the guys get in deeper with pertinent cliques in the school their friendship goes through different stages[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8911[/img] and rough patches and roles get a bit fuzzy. It's clever writing that keeps the storyline from being too predictable and never boring and adds a bit of realism to the movie's otherwise outrageous antics and implausible scenarios. Tatum's and Hill's developing and ongoing friendship and the fact that it is believable despite their differences plays a major part in giving *21 Jump Street* credibility for being a comedy with substance and heart. Not to drone on about the sappy drama side of 21 Jump Street, but when Jenko and Schmidt where either experiencing unfamiliar feelings or being part of something new or there was a slight rift in their friendship, all of it came across in a totally genuine and authentic manner. 

*21 Jump Street* is saturated with jokes, truly hilarious dialogue and plenty of vulgar raunchy language, including a surprising amount of the use of the word "d**k". The tone of the movie is consistent in that there's never a lull in either the funny bits or the more serious-ish stuff. There's a steady pace as to how things unfold, the action scenes are well executed and although the ending is pretty cliche, it doesn't disappoint and is in line with the preceding entertaining funny parts. 


*Rating:*

R for crude and sexual content, pervasive language, drug material, teen drinking and some violence. *21 Jump Street* may depict teenagers partying and acts associated with that, but undeniably it’s rated R for the language. The f-bomb and d**k are not just peppered throughout, but the movie is dowsed with these words in different variations and in different contexts. The key is that the verbal raunchiness works and in no way ever feels forced. It comes as naturally to the characters are breathing does. The vulgarity melds perfectly with the clever, witty, and most importantly funny script and I’m glad the movie wasn’t diluted to get a more audience friendly rating. 


*Video :2.5stars:*

*21 Jump Street* from the onset looks dim. Indoor scenes look as if the brightness has been [img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8908[/img]purposely reduced; akin to lowering the brightness on your laptop’s screen. The result is strain on the eyes because a darker image is usually associated with a loss of detail; this unfortunately is the case here. There is no reason for this transfer to look so dull and lifeless. Color reproduction is slightly more vibrant in daytime scenes, like in a park, but still the effect looks forced and a tad unnatural. From a distance the details in clothing occasionally look washed out, but wrinkles, flaps and shadows look much better when the camera is zoomed in. Black levels are very deep and at times the total blackness of some objects really wear out their welcome. For a domestic type movie where the focus is the characters and not a fantastical fictional world, the picture as it was in the theater, should be flawless. 






*Audio :4stars:*

Ambient noises are inserted strategically to enhance scenes. Regular day-to-day sounds are crisp and meld[img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8910[/img]well with the orchestral portion of the soundtrack. The non-lyrical music swells and subsides in moments of suspense and drama and is nicely layered over the dialogue. Aspects relating to the drugs the teenagers ingest sound powerful, immersive and loud. The gunshot sounds from the action scenes are surprisingly tame in terms of directional effect, but they are loud and noticeable. The rear speakers get a good amount of love during action scenes and low end bass makes an appearance just slightly when vehicles get in the mix. Music is prominent in the movie and comes through loud and clear in every instance and generally is pumped out through all five speakers simultaneously. Dialogue is consistently crisp and never drowned out by the soundtrack. Overall the soundtrack is impressive for a movie of this type. 






*Extras :3stars:*

Commentary with Directors and Cast
Back to School
20 Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
Johnny Depp on Set
Cube-O-Rama
Brothers in Arms
Peter Pan on the Freeway
The Rob Riggle Show


*Overall:*

I try to avoid getting myself hyped up for comedies because the trailers can be deceiving or show literally [img]http://www.hometheatershack.com/gallery/file.php?n=8912[/img]just the funny parts, but after seeing the trailer months ago I was convinced that *21 Jump Street* was going to be a total success; I was not let down. See this movie with friends, by yourself or whomever, it doesn't matter, you'll be laughing a ton, anticipating every forthcoming scene and if you’re like me wishing the good times wouldn’t end. I highly recommend this movie as a rental if you don’t buy Blu-rays, but if you have a Blu-ray library *21 Jump Street* is a must have addition. 







*Recommendation: Rent it*
*Watch the Official Trailer*


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Thanks for the review Peter. This one is sitting on the table to watch after the Royals game. Previews looked hilarious and the reviews have been glowing from both critics and general public. I've found that when both review a movie well it usually ends up being a buy for me.


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## Mike Edwards (Mar 10, 2011)

Thanks for the review Peter, been looking forward to watching this when it arrives in the mail. Too bad that the PQ is so lackluster for a such a new release


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## JBrax (Oct 13, 2011)

Well I must say you were right Peter as several scenes (not all but most) were very dark. I did feel as though the brightness of my screen was lacking and felt the need to turn it up. The first half of the movie had me laughing hysterically in several parts and seemed to slow a bit towards the end. This is still a buy for me and will soon be added to the collection.


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## ALMFamily (Oct 19, 2011)

Thanks for the review Peter! :T

When I saw this title come out, it took me back to my younger days watching the TV show - loads of fun. Adding to my lengthy watch list! :rofl2:


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## Appletree11 (Jul 9, 2012)

Great review. I watched this last week and thought it was great. In fact watched it again last night with my wife and she really liked it also. I was worried about it being a comedy but they did a great job. Also think they could have made a more serious themed movie with the same cast and it might have been even better.


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## cablebandit (Jun 1, 2011)

:scratch: The wife and I were very disappointed in this movie. We did enjoy Old School, Superbad, Get him to the Greek, and other movies of this type but this one was just not funny to us. We also felt the characters had no chemistry as friends. After turning this off half way through the first time, maybe we will have to give it another view.


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## Peter Rygiel (Jan 21, 2010)

cablebandit said:


> :scratch: The wife and I were very disappointed in this movie. We did enjoy Old School, Superbad, Get him to the Greek, and other movies of this type but this one was just not funny to us. We also felt the characters had no chemistry as friends. After turning this off half way through the first time, maybe we will have to give it another view.


It's too bad you disliked the movie so much. I say give it another shot and definitely watch it all the way through.


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## kingnoob (Mar 12, 2013)

Very good movie, needed a more interesting story-line near the end. Otherwise it is a good movie to watch with , Superbad might have been better though but this is still very good!
I would rate it 79/100


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