22 Jump Street

If there’s any doubt that 22 Jump Street is a sequel, the creators are happy to fill in the gaps.

For example, there’s an early scene in which a deputy police chief (Nick Offerman) chastises agents Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) for straying from formula and not living up to the expectations from their first assignment. He follows with a thinly veiled rant about the pitfalls of buddy-cop sequels, how the partners inevitably have a falling out and how their second adventure is never as good as the first.

That’s a hilarious sequence, and that sort of self-awareness pervades this follow-up to the 2012 adaptation of the cheesy 1980s television show. It’s often quite amusing (especially during an end-credits montage that imagines no fewer than 20 other ridiculous ideas for continuing the franchise).

Yet just because the movie acknowledges its inclusion of clichés doesn’t mean they’re not clichés, especially when the concept of lampooning a sequel isn’t all that original to begin with. And it doesn’t disguise its intention as a blockbuster summer sequel that’s more financially than creatively motivated.

Nevertheless, after its two mismatched heroes went undercover at a high school in the first film, the natural next step is college — at the request of their high-strung captain (Ice Cube) — complete with frat parties and a spring break vacation.

Specifically, they’re enrolled as siblings and roommates, only to see their friendship threatened when Jenko joins the football team and Schmidt falls for a shy art student (Amber Stevens). Again, the goal is to infiltrate a drug ring while dodging jokes from classmates about their age and strange bond, and navigating the usual pressures of college life.

The film does convey an infectious sense of lunacy, especially through the performances of Hill and Tatum, whose easygoing rapport generates some solid laughs, both physically and verbally.

The directing team of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie), who also helmed the first film, keeps the energy level high and keep the jokes flowing at a pace that makes the mundane level of the plot seem secondary.

Still, while it’s a slight improvement over its predecessor, 22 Jump Street features too many labored jokes and a framework that feels more familiar than fresh.

Rated R, 112 minutes.