Sony Pictures Home Entertainment brings 21 Jump Street to 4K UHD Blu-ray in a release that is not all that stellar.
The Production: 3.5/5
Two rookie cops, Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum), make a drug bust they think will get them promoted out of bike patrol duty at the local park. When the district attorney has to let the suspect go on a technicality (Jenko forgot to read him his Miranda rights), their Deputy Chief (Nick Offerman) re-assigns them to 21 Jump Street, a unit that places young-looking officers undercover at local high schools to investigate drug trafficking on campus. Their new Captain, Dickson (Ice Cube), assigns them the task of locating the supplier of a new synthetic drug that recently took the life of a promising drama student. Once on campus, Schmidt almost immediately befriends the school’s dealer, Eric (Dave Franco) and his occasional hookup Molly (Brie Larson), agreeing to help Eric distribute the drug in hopes of making contact with the supplier.
21 Jump Street the movie is, at times, a send up, homage, and big screen movie version of the hit television series of the same name created by Stephen J. Cannell that ran on the FOX network from 1987 to 1990, with the final season airing in first run syndication from 1990 to 1991. While the series was more of a police procedural drama, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie) and writers Michael Bacall (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and Jonah Hill often take the low road, filling the film with raunchy jokes and gags that surprisingly, thanks to the movie’s performers, often payoff and help propel the film beyond the typical big screen reboot.
Video: 4/5
3D Rating: NA
21 Jump Street was captured, for the most part, at 2.8K resolution on Arri Alexa cameras with some high-speed shots in Super 35mm, and completed as a 2K digital intermediate with an aspect ratio of 2.40:1. Sony’s 2160p upscale, which uses HDR10 high dynamic range, is a slight improvement over its 1080p Blu-ray counterpart. The higher bitrate and resolution don’t offer much of an increase in overall detail, unfortunately. It is the use of HDR10 high dynamic range that offers a much wider and more natural color gamut and more refined contrast that make the Blu-ray appear dim and bland in comparison.
Audio: 4.5/5
Sony has provided 21 Jump Street with a new Dolby Atmos track, but has also included the DTS-HD MA 5.1 track that first appeared on the 2012 Blu-ray release. Differences between the two are subtle, with the Atmos having a slightly wider and deeper soundstage with sounds travelling a bit more fluidly around the room. LFE is strong, often emphasizing the film’s hip-hop heavy soundtrack. Dialogue is clear and understandable throughout.
Special Features: 3/5
Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:33)
Red Band Trailer (1080p; 4:43)
International Trailer A (1080p; 2:02)
International Trailer B (1080p; 1:13)
Blu-ray Disc
Audio Commentary with Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, Actors Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum
Deleted Scenes (1080p; 29:32)
Gag Reel (1080p; 4:58)
Cube-O-Rama (1080p; 1:53)
Back To School (1080p; 7:43)
Brothers in Arms (1080p; 6:24)
Johnny Depp on Set (1080p; 4:42)
The Rob Riggle Show (1080p; 9:24)
Peter Pan on the Freeway (1080p; 4:12)
Digital Copy: An insert contains a code to redeem a digital copy (in UHD where available) on Movies Anywhere. The code can also be redeemed towards earning a free digital movie on Sony Rewards.
Overall: 4/5
21 Jump Street is often very funny and entertaining, but I’m not sure the upgrade to 4K was really necessary with this release.
Todd Erwin has been a reviewer at Home Theater Forum since 2008. His love of movies began as a young child, first showing Super 8 movies in his backyard during the summer to friends and neighbors at age 10. He also received his first movie camera that year, a hand-crank Wollensak 8mm with three fixed lenses. In 1980, he graduated to "talkies" with his award-winning short The Ape-Man, followed by the cult favorite The Adventures of Terrific Man two years later. Other films include Myth or Fact: The Talbert Terror and Warren's Revenge (which is currently being restored). In addition to movie reviews, Todd has written many articles for Home Theater Forum centering mostly on streaming as well as an occasional hardware review, is the host of his own video podcast Streaming News & Views on YouTube and is a frequent guest on the Home Theater United podcast.
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