I tried twice to start watching 21 Jump Street, the first time, I only got about seven minutes in, and couldn’t vibe with it. The second time, I got all the way through, and while I’m not the biggest Jonah Hill fan, and didn’t care for all of the humour, I really enjoyed this one. It ended up being a lot of fun, so you know I’m bound to watch the sequel pretty quick.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum make a wonderful pair of buddy cops, a pair of young looking rookies who hated one another in high school, and they were a geek and jock respectively. But after they get transferred to an undercover program located at 21 Jump St, and run by Captain Dickson (Ice Cube).

They are assigned to investigate a high school where a new drug has been developed and seems to be about to break out and spread through the entire school system. Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) are ordered to go undercover and find the source of the drug, and stop it.

So, undercover they go, as brothers, living with Schmidt’s parents, and the fun starts, because in the seven years since the pair graduated high school and went through the police academy, high school has changed.

Schmidt seems to be accepted by the cool kids including Eric (Dave Franco) and Molly (Brie Larson), while Jenko finds himself relegated to the brains and science geeks. They both go on journeys that let them correct a lot fo their own high school past, but Dickson keeps them focused on the assignment with lots of yelling.

There are trust issues, drug use, house parties, school plays, and lots of gunfire and chases. It works wonderfully well, and honestly, better than I thought it was going to be. There’s a lot of fun to be had pairing Tatum and Hill, and the fact that the film happily acknowledges the original series (in the best way at the film’s climax) while making the story their own.

There are a lot of laughs to be had from the fact that these two are in high school and look as old as they do, something that is pointed out hilariously a couple of times. And the cast is packed with familiar faces, all of them able to be incredibly funny, like Ellie Kemper and Rob Riggle, and it honestly looks like everyone is having a great time throughout the entire shoot.

I openly admit I didn’t think this one would be up my alley. It looked like a goofy, raunchy comedy appealing to the least common denominator. Instead, it’s a laugh-filled action-comedy bromance that skewers the original show, honours it, and gives a playful commentary on high school, and coming into your own.

Yeah, so you know what? I’m going to cue up 22 Jump Street, which sees them going to college, next.