For the third year in a row, audiences were able to see the zany antics of the Police Academy gang in the theatre. Let me start by saying that Police Academy 3: Back in Training is not any worse than the second movie, but it is also not all that much better either. I think if you liked part 2, chances are you will have fun with this as it is more of the same slapstick wacky humor.
How to Download Police Academy 3: Back in Training
Police Academy 3: Back in Training was released on March 21, 1986. 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 Plot and Setting of Police Academy 3: Back in Training
This time around the beloved Police Academy that trained the cadets we know and love is in danger of shutting down! There are budget cuts happening and the city is only able to afford one police institution so a series of tests and reports are going to be done to see which one stays open.
Characters and Comedy
The best graduates from the police academy, Mahoney, Hightower, and Tackleberry are called to train a bunch of new recruits. Seeing the characters that caused so much trouble in the first movie be the ones to train a new generation is kind of cool and does bring things full circle in a way.
You basically get more of the same slapstick comedy that you would expect from this series by this point. I liked how Mahoney was an authority figure here, but he was still not exempt from getting into trouble. The cast is likable and will make you laugh if you found their antics in the first two movies funny. The thing with the Police Academy series is that I think you either get a kick out of the silly humor, but I also get that some people just find these movies dumb.
Zed Steals the Show
For me, the best thing that Police Academy 3: Back in Training has going for it is Bobcat Goldthwait coming back as Zed. Zed was a criminal in the last movie, the leader of a gang, but this time around he is here in the Police Academy and trying to “go straight”. It is funny stuff and I have to say that this alone is probably what makes me like this movie more than the second one.
Familiar Plot and Humor
The thing with this movie is that you kind of feel like you have seen it all before. The plot with the potential closing of the police academy never really clicked with me. Hey, I liked these characters because of the crazy situations and weird things that they would say and do. However, I did not actually find myself caring all that much about if the police academy closed or not.
If I were scrolling through the channels and I saw that Police Academy 3: Back in Training was on, I would maybe stop for a while to get a couple of laughs, especially if Bobcat Goldthwait was on the screen. However, I would never actively go out of my way to watch this movie. As I said in my original Police Academy review, it was the animated series and the toys that I was first introduced to, and the movies while I liked some of them, never clicked with me the same way.
