In a bid to open up the police force to a
wider range of candidates, the Mayor
abolishes all restrictions of height, weight,
education, qualifications, experience, and
even intelligence. The result is that the
Police Academy is overrun by raw recruits,
including feckless idler Mahoney (Steve
Guttenberg), a rich brat (Kim Cattrall),
demented gun-freak Tackleberry (David
Graf), human beat-box Larvell Jones
(Michael Winslow), and the giant Hightower
(Bubba Smith). Commandant Lassard
(George Gaynes) has to knock them into
shape - but scheming Lieutenant Harris
is determined to wash them all out.
The weird thing about the Police
Academy series is that despite being
universally vilified, and having destroyed
the acting careers of nearly everyone
associated with it, it remains one of the
most successful movie series of all time,
giving rise to a spin-off TV show and
animation. There's even talk of a Next
Generation-style revival of the series, no
doubt with added pie-shagging and urinedrinking.
We're sure that the otherwise
unemployable Steve Guttenberg will be
happy to sign on, playing his own
grandfather or something.
While the first movie was mildly funny
in a sub-Airplane sort of way, the law
of diminishing returns set in incredibly
quickly. In PA2: Their First Assignment,
Guttenberg and the crowd face down
gang leader Bobcat Goldthwait; in PA3:
Back In Training, well, they're back in
training trying to save the academy
from closure. In PA4: Citizens on Patrol,
Lassard decides to recruit watch groups
from concerned citizens; in PA5:
Assignment Miami Beach, the team has to
rescue him when he's kidnapped, and in
PA6: City Under Siege, he's suspected of
being a criminal mastermind - as if!
In the final installment so far, Police
Academy: Mission to Moscow, Christopher
Lee, Claire Forlani and Ron Perlman pop
up in a plot about the Red Mafia. This
numberless entry into the series is one of
the unfunniest comedies ever produced.
On the whole, though, there's
something comfortingly predictable about
the pratfalls and innuendo - a bit like the
Carry On series. But while we might
recommend you buy the original movie at
£15.99, we can't imagine what would
possess you to shell out £70 for the
seven-movie box set.
wider range of candidates, the Mayor
abolishes all restrictions of height, weight,
education, qualifications, experience, and
even intelligence. The result is that the
Police Academy is overrun by raw recruits,
including feckless idler Mahoney (Steve
Guttenberg), a rich brat (Kim Cattrall),
demented gun-freak Tackleberry (David
Graf), human beat-box Larvell Jones
(Michael Winslow), and the giant Hightower
(Bubba Smith). Commandant Lassard
(George Gaynes) has to knock them into
shape - but scheming Lieutenant Harris
is determined to wash them all out.
The weird thing about the Police
Academy series is that despite being
universally vilified, and having destroyed
the acting careers of nearly everyone
associated with it, it remains one of the
most successful movie series of all time,
giving rise to a spin-off TV show and
animation. There's even talk of a Next
Generation-style revival of the series, no
doubt with added pie-shagging and urinedrinking.
We're sure that the otherwise
unemployable Steve Guttenberg will be
happy to sign on, playing his own
grandfather or something.
While the first movie was mildly funny
in a sub-Airplane sort of way, the law
of diminishing returns set in incredibly
quickly. In PA2: Their First Assignment,
Guttenberg and the crowd face down
gang leader Bobcat Goldthwait; in PA3:
Back In Training, well, they're back in
training trying to save the academy
from closure. In PA4: Citizens on Patrol,
Lassard decides to recruit watch groups
from concerned citizens; in PA5:
Assignment Miami Beach, the team has to
rescue him when he's kidnapped, and in
PA6: City Under Siege, he's suspected of
being a criminal mastermind - as if!
In the final installment so far, Police
Academy: Mission to Moscow, Christopher
Lee, Claire Forlani and Ron Perlman pop
up in a plot about the Red Mafia. This
numberless entry into the series is one of
the unfunniest comedies ever produced.
On the whole, though, there's
something comfortingly predictable about
the pratfalls and innuendo - a bit like the
Carry On series. But while we might
recommend you buy the original movie at
£15.99, we can't imagine what would
possess you to shell out £70 for the
seven-movie box set.
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