Police Academy 3: Back in Training

Police Academy 3: Back in Training

Uh, the third sequel clearly illustrates the decline in a franchise. However, it should be noted that this third movie feels like an actual chapter in a trilogy. Most of the characters from the first two movies carried over to this one. Like many of the third stories in a trilogy, Police Academy 3 is practically a remake of the first movie, but poorly excuted.

The first Police Academy was never a great movie, but it was a raunchy comedy that ripped off Stripes well. Police Academy was my generation’s Stripes, but it wasn’t as funny as Stripes. Police Academy 2, while lighter in tone and rating, still retain many of the aspects that made the first movie enjoyable. Then came Police Academy 3. When I was younger, I loved this little movie and thought it was as funny as the other two PA movies.

The biggest issue I have with the movie is that the whole thing feels thrown together. It tries so hard to copy the formula of the first movie, but falls flat on its face at every corner. Even the main villain, for no good reason, returns. He’s the tall street thug that takes some of the cops hostage at the climax of the first film.

This movie hasn’t aged well. While the jokes aren’t dated, the haphazard way the film is put together just doesn’t stand up to even the mediocre comedies of today.

Here are a few other points of interest

- Steve Guttenberg looks completely bored here. His character actually had an arc in the first movie. He went from being a slacker to an okay cop. In this movie, he just goes around performing pranks.

- Leslie Easterbrook is fine as hell as Lt. Debbie Callahan.

-With the exception of a few things, Bobcat Goldthwait isn’t that funny as he was in the second movie. In the second movie, his character was important. You could delete all his scenes in part 3 and wouldn’t miss him.

- Mauser isn’t Stg. Thaddeus Harris. Harris is what made the first movie so funny. Mauser is clearly a fill in for Harris because you could swap the two out without much of a problem. Heck, Mauser even has Proctor by his side.

- Shawn Weatherly is just a replacement for Kim Cattrall’s character from the first movie. Weatherly is prettier than Catrall, but there isn’t much new with this character.

Well, at least it isn’t Police Academy: Mission to Moscow.

Grade: C-