The Film
There have been no shortage of reboots, remakes and retellings by Hollywood of old with so-called "classic" TV being the fodder of many. This isn't exactly new, but what is new is how these are being handled. Instead of straight movie versions that stick to the original concept - SWAT and Mod Squad come to mind - more and more are either filling it with camp value or just making it as a spoof of the original. And maybe because the two aforementioned titles didn't exactly launch new franchises, the makers of 21 Jump Street sort of leaned toward the spoof side of things.
In fairness the Fox series, which anchored its Sunday night line-up in the late 1980s, was hardly one to be taken seriously. But the big screen version with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum not only doesn't it take it seriously but it sort of mocks the premise without being a full-blown spoof along the lines of Scary Movie. The result has some laughs, notably as it addresses the absurdity of the entire concept that Hill and Tatum look a little old for high school, but in the end it only serves to kill any fond memories for the original series - while also (spoiler alert) killing off some of the series' original characters in the process.
For another report on 21 Jump Street, read Mark Grady's review.
The Picture
The film looks fine on Blu-ray, and the 2.40:1 presentation proves that while you can't go home again you can go back to school. In fact, it highlights another problem with this film - notably that the series was filmed in always cloudy Vancouver whereas this takes place in always sunny Los Angeles. The film looks to have been shot digitally so it lacks the crispness of film, and as a result doesn't quite pop the way some recent Blu-rays from Sony have done.
The Sound
Surprisingly the annoying theme song from the original series is nowhere to be heard in this film, not in the opening nor end credits. But the rest of the music, including the score by Devo front man Mark Mothersbaugh works well with the film. The 5.1 channel DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack is excellent. Dialog is never muddled nor overpowered by the sound effects, but there is plenty in the way of surround sound to creating an immersive experience. The gun fights and explosions (which are part of a running gag) resound as necessary without being unnecessarily over-the-top. Instead this film just sounds good.
The Extras
Anything that was left on the cutting room floor is seemingly in this Blu-ray package, as are tons of otherwise middling promotional material. This includes audio commentary with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, along with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. It is for true fans only as it appears maybe these four took the drug that was central to the plot - because they certainly found this far more enjoyable that most viewers might and laugh at jokes that bombed. There are also 20 deleted scenes and a gag reel, and here someone should have considered the phrase "leave them wanting more." The same can be said of the Cube-O-Rama, a montage of Ice Cube's outtakes, which only shows that he basically phoned this one in and had more fun messing up than he did delivering the actual dialog.
The other bonus material is a little better and by that we stress "a little." This includes a short featurette "Back to School," which presents how different school is today - as compared to "when" exactly isn't made clear - plus a "Brothers in Arms" featurette with Tatum and Hill, "The Rob Riggle Show" with the cast praising the actor, "Peter Pan on the Freeway" highlighting the film's chase scene and finally "Johnny Depp on set" as the cast and crew discuss the actor's cameo. There are also previews and a UV Digital Copy of the film.
Final Thoughts
While this wasn't the dud that Mod Squad was - anyone remember that film remake? - it isn't the same 21 Jump Street from TV. It isn't a remake, it isn't quite a spoof. It has moments and it looks good and sounds good on Blu-ray but it this one barely earns the passing grade.
Product Details
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