Plot: What’s it about?
The 1980’s…Reagan was President, movies about nerds and “science” dominated and we pushed the envelope of special effects to their very limits. “Police Academy” didn’t really have any of these qualities, instead it was just good old-fashioned fun. The plot has now been done so many times (and even at the time it had already been done) that it was almost a cliché. Still, we laughed and wouldn’t you know it; this little movie inspired six more sequels. Wow. This movie did for police what “Stripes” did to the Army. Funny and amusing, we just couldn’t take our men and women in uniform that seriously after seeing this. This is your classic slapstick, goofball comedy with a cast as varied as any the screen has ever seen. Bubba Smith, an ex-football player, Steve Guttenberg best known for “Diner” and “Cocoon” (and whose acting career all but ended with the 80’s) and a then unknown Kim Cattrall who has obviously gone onto bigger and better things with her stint on television’s “Sex and the City”. It was the rejects up against the establishment (the “establishment” being the police academy), but who would win?
We meet all the major characters, and they are characters, as they’re either being hauled into jail or getting ready to sign up for their new careers as policemen. The new mayor has just decreed that regardless of age, race, religion, intelligence or anything else, anyone who signs up for the police academy will be accepted. The “…police freaked” as declared by the opening titles and hundreds of new recruits were on their way to doing a job they thought never possible. Every class needs a leader and they found in Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg). Mahoney is a constant pain in Lt. Harris’ (G.W. Bailey) side and Harris will do whatever possible to get the new class thrown out. Of course, there’s a supporting cast in Karen Thompson (Kim Cattrall), Hightower (Bubba Smith), Tackleberry (David Graf), Jones (Michael Winslow aka “the guy who does the sounds”) and Leslie Barbara (Donovan Scott). In future movies, there would be even more diversity but the plots of those are so absurd that they only remotely compare to this.
We can’t forget the Commandant of the Academy, either. Lassard (George Gaynes) is so oblivious to what is going on, he never catches the cadets in the act of doing something wrong, only seeing Harris screw up. These cadets are like the Bugs Bunny of policemen. Why did we like them so much? Who knows. I might add that not only is this the second incarnation of the movie, but this is the twentieth anniversary of the movie. Yes, amazing how time flies as just yesterday we were asking “Where’s the Beef” and wondering if Russia would nuke us and now we’re celebrating the twentieth anniversary of a screwball comedy. If nothing else, see “Police Academy” for a then very young Kim Cattrall or Steve Guttenberg when he had a career. The rest of the cast does a good job and if it weren’t for the countless sequels, this would have stood up a lot better. Is it a good movie? Sure, but check your brain at the door and you’ll have a much better time.
Video: How does it look?
Presented in a new anamorphic transfer, “Police Academy” looks surprisingly good. The 1.85:1 image is clean and clear throughout, though some of the scenes do appear to be a bit “fuzzy”. This is as a result of the picture though, and no fault of the DVD transfer. The print used obviously wasn’t the best and as a result there are some scenes in which edge enhancement is a bit of a problem, but it’s not too distracting and the moments in question come and go very quickly. The palette is very soft and natural, and the colors are reflected in this transfer. Overall, for a movie that’s now twenty years old, this looks great. More and more with new digital transfers, we can finally see movies how they were meant to be seen and in some cases, they look better at home than they did in the movie theater.
Audio: How does it sound?
“Police Academy” has not been re-mastered for Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, instead the original mono track is all we have. For a comedy that’s a couple of decades old, the original mix does serve its purpose, though. Dialogue is clean, free of any problems that might have crept up during the ages and though only one channel is used, it manages to convey what’s going on screen in a relatively good manner. Since there’s no surround effects to speak of or LFE for that matter, you need not worry with these during the course of the film. As per usual, the mono mix does what it’s supposed to and nothing more.
Supplements: What are the extras?
I suppose the fact that this is in anamorphic widescreen could be considered an extra. Still, we have the trailer in anamorphic widescreen and a good commentary track as well. The track contains Guttenberg, Winslow, Easterbrook, Bailey and Director Hugh Wilson and Paul Maslansky. I didn’t hear many silent points and the crew seemed to relax and have a good time while watching the movie again. While this isn’t the best track out there, there are some interesting tidbits to be learned and it’s a nice overall track. There’s a new “Behind the Scenes” look at the movie as well with new interviews, though Cattrall is surprisingly absent. All in all, this is the most “loaded” of the “Police Academy” discs, but fans will love it.
