The reel review with john:

21 Jump Street is the latest TV series from the 1980s to be adapted for the big screen. The original 21 Jump Street, a gritty crime drama in which baby-faced cops go undercover
in high school, helped launch the career of Johnny Depp.
However, instead of following this format, the filmmakers made the new version an action-comedy film. It's similar to what was done with Starsky and Hutch and The
Green Hornet. However, this didn't turn out to be a bad idea.
21 Jump Street follows Morton Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg
Jenko (Channing Tatum), two immature cops who are sent to 21 Jump Street, a revived police unit. The two must go undercover as siblings attending a local high school to find the supplier and distributor of a new dangerous party drug that makes ecstasy look tame. However, the two officers
weren't exactly best friends back in high school. Schmidt was a nerd donning fashion cues from Eminem, which gave him the nickname Not-So-Slim Shady, and Jenko was a cool but clueless jock. Naturally, there is conflict between the two as Schmidt tries to find popularity and Jenko struggles
with the fact of how much high school has changed. For example, "eco-friendly" kids are now cool, and no one wears their backpack with just one strap anymore. All of the performances are very good. Hill is as funny as ever,
whether he's thin or fat. Tatum is surprisingly hilarious in the film. We are so used to seeing him in a plethora of dull romance movies and mindless action films that we hardly see his comedic side. Here's to hoping that he'll play in more comedic roles like this. The script, written by Michael Becall, is filled with raunchy humor and gross gags, but that's to
be expected since he wrote the outrageous party movie Project X, which hit theaters a few weeks ago.
Fans of the original TV show probably won't like that, but the film still works in its own way. Plus some viewers probably can't get over the fact that Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum are supposed to be in high school. It's definitely stretching the premise thin as Hill is 28 years old and Tatum is 31, but there are some clever lines in the script that address this situation. In addition, some of the action scenes
are clunky and the standard car chases are just plain routine, but there are a few twists in the scenes to make them enjoyable. There is also a surprise cameo in the film that should excite everyone. 21 Jump Street is a fresh and
entertaining 1980s reboot. If you can get past some of the ridiculous elements of the film then you'll enjoy it.