“22 Jump Street” is funny, more action packed sequel to 2012’s “21 Jump Street” that uses the shared chemistry of the two leads to thoroughly defeat being just another half-hearted sequel.

After taking down a high school drug ring in the first film, undercover cops Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are tasked with doing the same thing at college. Honestly, the set-up itself is almost identical to the first one, and the film manages to get a lot of laughs on that awareness alone.

For me the biggest draw to these films is how well Hill and Tatum play off of each other. The sets are better and the action scenes are bigger, but the core of the film is definitely the fact that the duo works so well together — like a comedic yin and yang. The formula is pretty standard — Jenko is dumb and Schmidt is the straight man — but above it all they seem like actual friends, and that goes a long way in a good comedy.

Although much of the film’s laughs come from the genre awareness of its characters, it never seems to fall flat. Being self-referential isn’t new ground by any means, but “22 Jump Street” used it in a way that helped the film avoid being predictable while still subverting moments you would expect in a standard action film. The two characters aren’t very good at action and for the most part, it’s hilarious watching them try.

“22 Jump Street” is a worthwhile sequel that knows what sucks about sequels. Sure, the plot itself isn’t the most original idea in theaters right now, but the execution is stellar. Filmmakers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller knocked it out of the park with “The Lego Movie” earlier this year, and this film wholeheartedly keeps that that hot streak going.

4 out of 5 Stars