21 Jump Street

Successfully reviving and re-inventing the ‘80s action-comedy TV franchise, 21 Jump Street stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum as youthful-looking police academy graduates assigned to infiltrate and expose a high-school drug ring that is producing a potentially lethal synthetic which has already claimed one life. Former social adversaries who go undercover—and report to tough Capt. Dickson (Ice Cube)—brainy Schmidt (Hill) suffered an emotionally painful adolescence (bullied as a chubby, geeky outcast), while brawny Jenko (Tatum) was a popular jock. Older and wiser, the pair are confident that they can work together to outwit today's teenagers, but trying to bust the student body's gregarious, environmentalist drug-dealer, Eric Molson (Dave Franco, James' younger brother), turns out to be not so easy, nor is befriending classmates and teachers. Science nerds now rule, while athletes have lost their cool status, leading to a role reversal in which Hill is the action hero and Tatum becomes traumatized as both cope with the anxiety and angst of being teens again. Loosely adapting the show that launched Johnny Depp's career (he has a cameo here), co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller seem to relish silly slapstick, deftly spoofing the original series along the way. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, deleted scenes (9 min.), a “Back to School” production featurette (8 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are additional deleted scenes (20 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “The Rob Riggle Show” (10 min.), “Brothers in Arms” (7 min.), and “Johnny Depp on Set” (5 min.), a gag reel (5 min.), “Peter Pan on the Freeway” (4 min.), “Cube-O-Rama” with costar Ice Cube (2 min.), and a bonus UltraViolet copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fun reboot.] (S. Granger)