With its nice combination of raunchy teen comedy and buddy cop bromance, 21 Jump Street successfully creates its own identity with no intention on copying the dynamic of the hit TV show that inspired it.

TV shows that have been adapted into movies have a bad track record. This was no doubt on the mind of the people behind 21 Jump Street, an adaptation of the hit 1980s show that made Johnny Depp a star.

It is with good casting and high energy that it manages to stand out from the pack. Director Phil Lord and Chris Miller bring the fun spirit from their animation work (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) to a live action setting and let the bullets (and the profanities) fly. But what makes the film even better is the wonderfully mismatched pairing of Johan Hill and Channing Tatum, two actors of vastly different backgrounds who make quite the awesome duo.

They star as Schmidt and Jenko, the loser and jock (respectively) from high school who meet up years later as cadets in police academy. Now brothers in blue they are assigned to a special division where youthful looking cops infiltrate high schools in order to bust teen criminals.

When a potent synthetic drug hits the hallways, Schmidt and Jenko have to go back to school and find the supplier…that is if they can survive adolescence again. While the supplier is a mystery, what is certain is that today’s teenagers are a different breed, living and dying on their online social status while showing a strong (aka trendy) concern for social and environmental issues.

Long gone are The Breakfast Club days of the jock, the brain, the princess, the criminal and the basket case. A scene where Hill and Tatum walk through the school parking lot is akin to walking on Mars, with new cliques -such as Glee clubs- alien in their eyes.

How Schmidt and Jenko navigate the various cliques in search for the drug kingpin is done in a fun way, especially there attempts to get tight with cool kid and suspect number one Eric (Dave Franco). Even better is watching Ice Cube chew them out in the self-identifying role of the “mad black police captain”, the NWA legend spitting out the films best lines with comedic attitude.

The strength of every buddy cop comedy lies in the chemistry between its buddy cops. Hill and Tatum comply in kind with hilarious performances as bumbling cops out of their element. Tatum is especially impressive, showing off little known comedic chops and much more personality than other films have allowed him display.

There are times when 21 Jump Street does try a little too hard to make an impression, especially in regards to its vulgarity. Nothing wrong with a dick joke when done right, but it can get annoying when done too much.

But overall 21 Jump Street is a fun film that’s balls to the walls with its action comedy, superbly self-depreciating and not shy in revealing a surprise or two. Finally an adaptation of a TV series worth recommending.