For a pilot episode, this does well to establish the characters and set up the premise. Johnny Depp's character is a by the book rookie cop but with a short fuse. After he accidentally busts his partner's nose whilst out on a job, his chief tells him his juvenile ways make him unsuitable for working on the beat, but offers him a lifeline. Either take a boring desk job until he's mature enough for working on the street, or use his youthful appearance to take an undercover job posing as a pupil working in schools to fight crime.
Depp's character quickly changes once he assumes his undercover role. He gets a physical makeover by his other young colleagues to 'blend in' and be more like the cool kid and he quickly and effortlessly assumes a personality to match.
There's good performances from the supporting actors playing the rest of the 'Jump Street' team, special notice to Frederic Forrest as the captain. Many will know him as the psychotic anti Semitic store owner in Falling Down, but he's certainly playing the good guy here, and does it well. Interesting to see that he does not last long in the series, leaving the show after episode 5 of the first season. As I'm only up to episode 4, I'll have to wait and see what happens with his character.
The initial set up is a bit clunky but once we get past that, it's fairly compelling viewing. As with many pilot episodes, it pales when compared with the rest of the series but as pilots go, it's a decent effort and I found it very watchable.
Depp's character quickly changes once he assumes his undercover role. He gets a physical makeover by his other young colleagues to 'blend in' and be more like the cool kid and he quickly and effortlessly assumes a personality to match.
There's good performances from the supporting actors playing the rest of the 'Jump Street' team, special notice to Frederic Forrest as the captain. Many will know him as the psychotic anti Semitic store owner in Falling Down, but he's certainly playing the good guy here, and does it well. Interesting to see that he does not last long in the series, leaving the show after episode 5 of the first season. As I'm only up to episode 4, I'll have to wait and see what happens with his character.
The initial set up is a bit clunky but once we get past that, it's fairly compelling viewing. As with many pilot episodes, it pales when compared with the rest of the series but as pilots go, it's a decent effort and I found it very watchable.