Released just a year after the original, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment tries to capture the magic of the first movie, but it never manages to reach those heights. It is a real shame to as I think that the movie had some decent ideas and to be fair, I watched this again recently and it was actually a bit better than I remembered it being.
How to Download Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment was released on March 29, 1985. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
The first letdown here with Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is that there is no 80s Kim Cattrall in this movie, until my recent re-watch I had actually forgotten that she was not a major part of the franchise going forward after the first movie. Ok, I am over Kim Cattrall not being in the movie, but the rest of the cast is really solid.
The Return of Familiar Faces
Steve Gutenberg returns as Murphy to lead the charge. As well as Murphy, Hightower, Hooks, Tackelberry, and of course, Motormouth Jones are all here. I think that they did a solid job of getting most of the gang back together, but it kind of proves that with that first movie, they caught lightning in a bottle as this one despite the talented cast is lacking the charm and spark that original movie had.
The Introduction of Zed
Now, one new addition to the cast is Bobcat Goldthwait as Zed. Zed is the leader of a gang called The Scallions. Zed and his gang along with a potential new police chief are the bane of the existence of our new recruits! After graduating from the police academy in the first movie, our recruits are now police officers and they need an assignment.
The Plot and Humor
For their first assignment, they are tasked with heading to the 16th Precinct. The 16th Precinct is the worst precinct in the city with rampant crime and a police force that is old and pretty uninterested. The gang are tasked with cleaning up the streets and getting things back on track and putting a stop to Zed and his gang. As a premise, I think this is actually really solid for a second movie, but there is just something lacking.
We get the same kind of zany slapstick comedy and Michael Winslow is hilarious as ever with the stuff he is able to do. However, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment is just lacking something, even after watching it again recently, I cannot put my finger on what exactly is missing and no, it is not 80s hot Kim Cattrall, although that would have perhaps helped a tad. I do think that Zed is a great villain and Bobcat Goldthwait is a lot of fun in the role.
Final Thoughts
The movie just plods along and it did make me chuckle and smile while watching it, but it never hit the same heights as that first movie. Personally, I do feel that some people are a tad harsh on this movie and there are certainly Police Academy movies I would rank underneath it. Yet, the first one is so much better and I also feel that Police Academy 3: Back in Training is also a better movie.
