In the spring of 2012, when a movie spin-off of a 1980s TV show made more than $125 million, a sequel was inevitable. That was 21 Jump Street, so it only makes sense its sequel, released Friday, is 22 Jump Street. Fortunately, 22 avoids the convention of a greedy, careless sequel and improves on its predecessor. 22 Jump Street recognizes its predecessor’s weaknesses, shows an acute, biting self-awareness and, most importantly, is quite funny.

The premise is a familiar one: Schmidt (Jonah Hill, The Lego Movie) and Jenko (Channing Tatum, The Lego Movie) are once again needed to infiltrate a student drug ring. The twist? This time, it’s in college. So, once again they go undercover in hopes of saving the day. Comedy ensues. 

That’s it. Whereas the crisis plotline in 21 Jump Street took up a good amount of screen time, the sequel doesn’t even bother. The writers know what the people came to see, and it’s not great detective work by two policemen. The result is 112 minutes of jokes — most of them funny. 

As with most sequels, one of the benefits is a familiarity with the characters. Instead of spending time adjusting to Hill and Tatum as the leading duo, they click right off the bat and the audience embraces their humor like that of an old friend. The two go well together, their juxtaposing personalities reminiscent of just about every buddy-cop movie.

The jokes that get the most laughs are simple: juvenile wordplay, physical humor and police shenanigans. While the film does show off some creativity, including a great use of split screen and some word graphics, its humor seems to be an ode to action comedies of the ’80s and ’90s. Turns out the stuff still works.

Hill and Tatum are surrounded by a loaded supporting cast. Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation), Jillian Bell (Workaholics) and Rob Riggle (Just Before I Go) are among the many familiar faces that pop up. Ice Cube (Ride Along) reprises his role as Captain Dickson and provides some of the funniest scenes in the movie. Newcomers Kenny and Keith Lucas (Lucas Bros Moving Co) are highlights as Schmidt and Jenko’s dorm neighbors, using their twin telepathy for big laughs.

The film’s laughs flow well and like the first installment, 22 Jump Street is edgy, vulgar and at times stupid, but there is something in this movie to make any comedy fan chuckle. This film gets a bit clunky only once, toward the end, when the plotline needs to be tied up — a necessary evil in a movie this silly.

22 Jump Street’s biggest accomplishment is shaking the stigma usually attached to sequels: Hill, Tatum and company created a movie that is better than 21 Jump Street. Instead of a sloppy grab at a triumph of the past, this movie is a step up from success.