21 Jump Street

Not much fanfare for this movie beforehand, and it certainly wasn't one I was expecting to go see in the theatre, but a few nights ago I found myself in the darkened theatre with a couple of friends. It's the name - 21 Jump Street - and nothing else that I recognize or know about it. Sometimes being unprepared for a film is the best thing. No preconceived notions, no knowledge of the Tomat-O-Meter, and no expectations based on the source material. I knew even less about the original, and wasn't even aware that Johnny Depp was in it (and really got his start there). So when he showed up in the film it was unexpected. I wasn't overly impressed either: it felt like a Saturday Night Live cameo where Depp was probably just on the lot during filming, and took himself a role just for the sake of being a good guy. Little did I know, and I stand corrected. His awkwardly long and wordy cameo is justified, and probably a real treat for fans of the original.

I can't help but wonder how much of the original made it in here. Jonah Hill - love him or hate him - was heavily involved in the story and certainly brings his brand to the production. You get that type of humour, which for the most part seems quite immature and gratuitous. There are certainly funny moments, and I wonder if my age or rigidness is getting in the way, but I couldn't find myself really enjoying this movie. I'm also not a fan of Channing Tatum, but was pleasantly surprised by his turn in his role here. I'm still not sure what to make of Hill, except that he continues to play the same baffled and agitated character time and again. Is it being typecast? It's certainly not like being typecast the way an actor would be ages ago - perhaps it's because these are comedy actors. It's just like saying Michael Cera plays the same character over again. And I'm certainly not qualified to say if this is a new trend or has been going on forever: my favourite comedy actors from childhood probably did the same thing.