22 Jump Street Trailer (2014) : Too Similar to 21 Jump Street?

22 Jump Street Trailer

Too similar to 21 Jump Street?

22 Jump Street has released its red band trailer. Our favorite characters Jenko (Channing Tatum) and Schmidt (Jonah Hill) are back, but I’m even happier to see the return of Ice Cube’s Captain Dickson who to me, provided the best moments of the previous installment. Who can forget him saying “Infiltrate the dealers, find the suppliers!”? 

While I know that the film won’t fail to deliver on the side of laughs, I’m slightly let down by the anticipated plot lines. The trailer sees the police duo go through college, but it’s clear that they are once again trying to find a drug cartel embedded in university. The previous film also dealt with a drug bust, so are they going for a similar story? SlashFilm.com reports that another component of the story will be the duo beginning to “question their partnership.” This, too, was a strong element of 21 Jump Street where there was an element of role reversal and Hill was the cool guy in school while Tatum hung out with the geeks, drawing them apart. Will the audience be disinterested if the film is more like the previous film, or less like it?

Setting that aside, there are things going on that should help differentiate this film from its predecessor. Firstly, Jenko and Schmidt will be trying to infiltrate a college crime circle instead of one in high school. We all know how different high school was from college, so there is definitely potential to explore new areas. As the trailer mentioned, the fraternity aspect comes into play. Secondly, the film sees the two cops requesting for the aid of the last film’s villains, played by Dave Franco and Rob Riggle. That, too, should add an interesting dimension to the new addition depending on how big a role these actors will play. But still, it remains to be seen if the balance of the old and the new will make a decent combination for movie goers.