Police Academy 3 : Instructeurs de choc

Yes, combine the first two movies take away most of the cussing and raunchy jokes and you have the start of the very stale Police Academy sequels. I enjoyed the first two films, and I will say this one had some laughs, but way to much wrong with it to be considered even an okay film. The only redeeming factor is that once again G.W. Bailey is absent and the more funnier Mauser is in this one with his assistant Proctor. They made for most of the humor and Mauser's absence in the next film stands out to me. The story has two police academies in an area and one of them is to be shut down. Mauser is in charge of one, and granted how did he get an academy since the last movie is a rather good question. One wonders is this supposed to be a sequel and for the most part other than this strange turn it seems to be. Most of the jokes have been done, Bobcat is back and you wonder why. He was good in the last movie, in this one his presence is overkill. I thought how Mahoney in the first film got into the academy there is no way Bobcat could have. So all in all the start of very weak sequels and you will begin to know the jokes by heart.

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.

Police Academy 3 (1986) The inmates are now running the asylum. Mahony and company are now instructors at the place they once attend. Running out of ideas and funny situations, the film starts to repeat (ad naseum) many of the gags and punchlines from the first two films. While new characters are being added to the series, a few old one decide to leave (for good). If you notice, the bigger the star Steve Guttenberg becomes, the lesser screen time he gets. Oh well.

Slightly recommended. If the producers have thought with their heads instead of their pocket books, they should have put this series to bed instead of dragging it out and running the series until the wheels and the engine fell off.

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.