Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)

The best of the 'Police Academy' films will always be the original by quite some way. It isn't great and will never be a favourite comedy or overall film of mine, but it clearly knew what it wanted to be so it was easy to take it for what it was and what it set out to do.It was followed by six sequels, and none of them were as good or even on the same level as the first, though admittedly some are worse than others. Most of them are actually being pretty bad or worse and lose what was enjoyable about the original in the first place. After a tolerable but vastly inferior first sequel, the quality worsens with 'Police Academy 3' while not being one of the series' worst.'Police Academy 3' is not irredeemable, then again this is coming from somebody who always tries to find something good in mediocre or less films. A few cast members fare well, those being Michael Winslow, David Graf and Leslie Easterbrook. George Gaynes is always watchable and is here too even with his material not being as meaty or as funny.Robert Folk's score is robust and infectious and there is a bit with a scooter and a car that is quite amusing and the best timed of all the gags.Unfortunately, too much of the cast have little to do or have lost what made their characters work before. Steve Guttenberg has lost his spark and enthusiasm, while Marion Ramsey does little with a character that has nothing to her and, while a high-point in the second film, Bob Goldthwait is even more unsubtle and tries far too hard here that it's irritating.Sadly there are nowhere near enough laughs, maybe a couple of minor parts work but there are no real highlight scenes really (which the first two had) and the rest of the gags are poorly timed, feeling laboured and with some abrupt shifts from one to another, parts that are more grossly crude than anything remotely amusing and too much of it has a style of humour that feels far too toned down, which makes the film feel leaden and bland.Production values look rushed, like there were severe time and budget constraints, while what little there is of the story (most of it close to non-existent rather than thin) is an incredibly lazy-feeling replay. The climax goes on for far too long and a lot of it is ineptly staged and the low point of the surprisingly amateurish direction. The script throughout takes the dumbness way too far and some of it is pretty puerile to insulting degrees.Overall, the IMDb taglines listed couldn't be more ironic summing up a weak (but worse was to follow) entry. 3/10 Bethany Cox

In an effort to cut costs the decision is made to eliminate one of the state's two police academies. As a result, a special task force is sent to both academies to determine which one is the best. The first police academy is headed by "Commandant Lassard" (George Gaynes) while the other is run by the villain in the previous movie, "Commandant Mauser" (Art Metrano). Being the good guy that he is, Commandant Lassard has every intention of playing by the rules and in that regard he hires some of his best former cadets to hopefully save his academy from the chopping block. Unfortunately, Commandant Mauser is perfectly willing to do whatever it takes to win and for that reason he has two of his own men infiltrate the other academy in order make it look bad. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film fails to distinguish itself from the previous two movies in large part due to the fact that it rehashes the same worn-out gags without hardly any variance at all. A joke gets old after the first time or two. Add in a very lengthy and boring chase scene at the end and even the presence of Bobcat Goldthwait (as "Zed") couldn't save this movie. Below average.

This pretty mush might has well be a remake of the first movie. It is not really a remake but is might as well be. Police academy 2 is a better movie. And that was pretty bad. This is an awful movie. It very boring and not funny. The story line is awful. Michael W.i.n.s.l.o.w is a great actor. He wasted his talent being in this awful movie. It so mush like the first one. And the first one is boring. It is even more boring then this one. But still this very boring. Leslie E.a.s.t.e.r.b.r.o.o.k is great actresses and she wasted her talent being in this awful movie. I can believe people like this movie. It is so stupid and not funny at all.

The third part of this unique police movie series presents us a weaker story line than the second movie but a few great surprises. Some really great and unique actors from the second movie, as the rebellious punk Zed and the shy and rather conservative Sweetchuck, come back and play the new cadets of the police academy to save the honour and future of it because one out of two police academies must close its doors do to too elevated costs. It's a brilliant idea that the charismatic villain Mauser from the second movie is also back in here and the chef of the second police academy that confronts Lessard's academy. Of course, Mahoney, Tackleberry, Hightower and all the other are also starring in this very funny and entertaining flick, this time as instructors instead of cadets as in the first movie. It's very funny to see all those weird and unique characters in those reversed roles.As you might have noticed, this movie still has a high amount of great ideas, funny scenes and entertaining passages that puts the third part on the same level as the first two movies. The reason why this part got one point less from me is the ending. The motorboat chase scenes are simply too long and ultimately quite boring and I think that a real ending is missing as the movie ends somewhat quite suddenly after the chasing scenes. The should have cut off three minutes of the chasing scenes and added them at the end of the movie in my opinion. The movie ends as if the producers have been in a hurry or lack of imagination.But this only negative point doesn't change a thing that this flick is perfectly entertaining and should please to anyone that has seen the first two parts. After having watched this movie for the very first time I was still really looking forward for the fourth part.