DVD Review: 21 Jump Street by Magnavision

I went to two high schools. In my first high school, I was your typical nerd. I joined math competitions and spelling bees, and the popular girls bullied me to death - verbally, emotionally and physically.

So, when I moved to Bangkok, I turned my life around and became one of the popular girls. In fact, I was the Queen Bee. Not everybody is as lucky enough to do what I did, though, so: if you could go back to high school, what would you do differently?

This is one of the premises that "21 Jump Street" touches on - the movie re-boot of the 1980's television series starring Johnny Depp (who, of course, makes a cameo in this movie). This time around, the movie stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. And it is - hands down! - one of the most hilarious comedies I have seen in a while.

Now, you might think I'm biased because there's a hottie like Channing Tatum in the movie. But, if you read my "Magic Mike" movie review or my "The Vow" DVD review, you will know that I never cared about Channing before I saw "21 Jump Street".

This movie is to Channing Tatum what "What's Your Number" is to Chris Evans: the movie that will make girls-who-prefer-personality-over-looks fall for him. It definitely worked for me! :p

Channing Tatum aside, other things that I love about this movie include the following:

1. The rest of the cast.

Who doesn't love Jonah Hill, Dave Franco or Ice Cube? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually believe that Dave Franco might be a much better actor compared to his brother (my on-again, off-again lover) James Franco.

2. The accurate portrayal of what was cool before and what is cool now.

Can I just say: "my, how the times have changed"? I'm not saying it's bad, though. I think I would have preferred being cyber-bullied back in high school compared to the way that I was actually bullied, for example, but back in my day (I sound so old!), sweaty basketball players were hot and clean-cut singers were not.

Fun fact: Jonah Hill actually bleached his hair blonde back in the day because he loved Eminem that much. :p

3. It actually works.

I would normally be the first one to say that reboots are stupid ideas. Fortunately, I was too young to be a huge fan of "21 Jump Street" when it was showing on TV, so I didn't have anything to compare this to. Therefore: I liked it. A lot.

I have been told that I have a weird sense of humor, though, so I'm not sure if everyone else will like it. However, you can trust me when I say there is never a dull moment in this movie and there is nothing corny or cheesy about the jokes in it. No toilet humor, either!

Also, let's face it: the special features of most DVDs aren't really worth it, but I enjoyed the special features of "21 Jump Street" immensely. The deleted scenes were HILARIOUS and the behind-the-scenes footage of the movie was great, too.

However, I understand why the scenes had to be deleted, given that the movie is already around 110 minutes long without them.

All photos courtesy of Magnavision.

Overall, "21 Jump Street" is a real breath of fresh air in the smoky cloud of lame comedies and action films nowadays. Aside from touching on the aforementioned premise of "What if things were different for us in high school?", it also manages to hit on stereotypes, spoof action films and remind us what true friendship is supposed to be all about. Definitely a must-buy!

Make sure you get a copy of it at your nearest Astroplus or Odyssey branch. Massive thanks to Magnavision for mine! :)

Have you seen "21 Jump Street"? What did you think of it? I'd love to know! And tell me your high school stories while you're at it! :) Don't forget to like Magnavision on Facebook and follow them on Twitter btw! :)