Police Academy 3: Back in Training (1986)

A few years ago I watched Police Academy, which became one of my favorite comedies, but I never could find any of the sequels. Even though I have been warned that these sequels are not any good, I'm still curious, I just finished Police Academy 3: Back in Training last night and even though it's not as funny as the first Police Academy film, it still has a few decent laughs. I think the ratings here on IMDb are so low because a lot of people are not giving these movies a good chance. If you wanna see these sequels, just have an open mind to it, because some of these sequels are still pretty funny. I liked having the gang back together, even good old obnoxious Zed, and they've added a few new characters to the story that are so much fun to watch.

Due to money shortage, the governor has to cut one of the two police academies in the city. The way to choose which academy is going to last is a competition, to see which pulls out the best trained policemen. So the class of 1984 is back to help their academy out and help train new recruits, including our villain from the second Police Academy, Zed, has decided to clean up his act while picking on a poor little nerd, Sweetchuck, but end up being quite the funny pair together. But the other academy is going to do whatever they can to sabotage and win the competition away from Lasard's Police Academy.

No, this isn't by any means a pure comedy that has you constantly laughing, but it still delivers a few good moments. I know he is getting little obnoxious, but Michael Winslow with the voices, I loved when he was training a student and making noises like she was a bad driver, then he stopped and said "ok, if I hear any of those noises, you fail". Back in Training is worth the look if you're interested in seeing the sequels, I would recommend it, Back in Training has it's laughs, just have an open mind and have fun.

5/10

Fmovies: The Police Academy concept always worked best when the action was set in the titular environment, ie when a new bunch of misfits are being trained. Which is ironic, because of the seven (with an eighth apparently on the way) films, only this and the original stick to the formula. While stagnation is never a good thing, a franchise like Police Academy should be encouraged at every turn to do what works best.

The title also sums up the entire plot, although a little effort also goes into the setup. Essentially, there have been two police academies in this town for a while now, and the city's administration has decided that it cannot afford to keep both open. The decision as to which will be closed at the end of the current graduating class is to be made on the basis of which class performs better in the eyes of an evaluation committee. The winner is never established in a manner that would put it beyond a shadow of doubt, at least to a completely cynical viewer, but the whole film is about the journey, not the result.

A major plot hole exists in the shape of the two types of recruit the academies display. The Mauser academy looks more like a front for the Aryan Union or the like, and the Lassard academy remains a haven for the usual mob of misfits, only this time without any stoolies among the recruits. Correct me if I am wrong, but if the mayor has decided that none of the usual discriminatory factors used to screen the intake of each police academy no longer apply, shouldn't that decision apply to both academies? Or indeed every academy that the city (or state) has?

That aside, this was the last film Art Metrano appeared in before an accident left him unable to walk. Like Street Fighter did for Raul Julia, this is the kind of memorial you wouldn't wish upon any actor's career, regardless of their output. Not that he is particularly noticed in this episode. While Harris isn't present to make him redundant, the overcrowding of the cast doesn't leave him with a lot of things to do. He is unmemorable enough that nobody really noticed his absence from future PA films, or films of any kind for that matter.

A more skilled actor such as George Gaynes, for example, is able to use the minimal screen time he gets in order to make his character memorable. As the near-senile commandant who is supposed to be the focus of sympathy, he makes his mark well. Why he's never been in anything more substantial in the past twenty years, I will never know. For the rest of the cast, hitting the one note they are capable of is perfectly sufficient, and considering the proliferation of so-called a-list stars who cannot even achieve that much these days, I think some cast members deserve more credit than they get.

This is truly Bobcat Goldthwait's film. As the latest recruit at the Lassard academy, he goes into a literal overdrive of screaming and nervous tics. It is an odd testament to the man's talent that he can literally make this work as a comedy act. What made Mahoney so loveable and funny in the first film, Zed exploits to greater heights. When Steve Guttenberg refused to come back for episode five, they should have offered Bobcat the sky to take his place. The results of them not doing so are now a matter of historical record.

I gave Police Academy 3 a one out of ten. On a purely intellectual level, it is less than zero, but in terms of pure fun, it scores a few points. Those who have to follow a series should be advised that this is the last of the PA films that th

I saw POLICE ACADEMY 3: BACK IN TRAINING on cable one night and I have to say for a second sequel, POLICE ACADEMY 3: BACK IN TRAINING is pretty funny. It's not quite as funny as the first two POLICE ACADEMY movies, but is pretty close. It's kind of like the first POLICE ACADEMY except with a different set of people being trained to be cops. The characters are hilarious and so is the movie.

Police Academy 3: Back in Training fmovies. It's back to where it all started for the gang as they assist trainees who are as inept as they were. Squealing Goldthwait is now a wannabe cop and in a perfect idea by the screenwriter is roommated with meek little Mr. Sweetchuck, whom he terrorized throughout part 2. The most notable newcomer is Brian Tochi as the Japanese youngster obsessed with Easterbrook's breasts (who wouldnt be?). The climax is a little more exciting than in the recent films (a jet-ski chase) and is filmed very nicely. And it's odd how with each film the running time gets shorter, only 83 minutes here. But still enjoyable the third time around.

Police Academy 3 (1986)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

The gang is back and this time they must train some new recruits and if they fail the academy might be shut down for good. Once again, for a fan I think this film still has enough laughs be be mildly entertaining but there's no doubt this is where the series started to slip away. While there aren't as many laughs here as the previous two films the thing manages to stay alive due to the nice characters created by the cast. Guttenberg, Smith, Graf, Winslow and Leslie Easterbrook are back with Bob Goldthwait and Tim Kazurinsky returning from the second film. The movie tries to have a plot with the academy threatened to be shut down but of course this just sets up all the attempted laughs. The best moments of the movie happen as we get a semi-remake of the original film as we see the new recruits going through their training. This film only runs 83-minutes, which certainly wasn't the normal thing in 1986 so that should tell you that the screenplay doesn't go for too much.

While still suffering from the humor limitations of being rated PG, "Police Academy 3" has sight gags enough to make it worth watching a few times (at least more often than "Part II").

The gang's all here and trying to train a new line of cadets in their own image (poor cadets) while Lassard (Gaynes) tends to his goldfish and tools about in his modified golf cart.

Even Bobcat Goldthwait returns as Zed, this time training to be a force of good. His scenes breathe a lot of life into this affair, as he screams at doors until they fall down, terrorizes his fellow cadets, hot wires police cars with his teeth and sings at the most inopportune times.

Everyone else has at least one good scene, maybe two. And considering how many are in the cast, that leaves room for a lot of good scenes. Even Georgina Spelvin is back from the original and, bless her, she makes good, too (though not as hilarious as in the original).

This is about as good as the sequels get, so look no further for laughs than "Police Academy 3: Back in Training". Definitely Bubba Smith's finest hour.

Seven stars. Good job, officers.