The movies that everyone secretly loves and won't admit it...Part 1...The Police Academy Series.

The classic, the original, the movie I cannot believe my parents actually let me watch, and subsequently fall in love with again and again since I was only 4. I, like many people, would constantly rediscover it every few years to the point where in my old age, it has it's own spot collecting dust on my shelf, to be pulled out at least once a year or so.
Police Academy came to be in the film world at a time when raunchy-teen comedies like, Porky's, had become very lucrative to film companies, and very cheap to make. Long before Reno: 911, and Super Troopers, Police Academy was a very slickly written comedy, with a good cast of well-timed comedic actors, all hidden behind a sex-comedy.
For those who are oblivious to the films plot, or forgot what it was about, it starts with the concept that due to new regulations (very normal at the time) that the local Police Academy could no longer refuse recruits based upon their age, sex, etc. etc. would bring a lot of diversity to an organization, much like the military, for being very picky about who is accepted. Enter the new recruits of this years graduating class, led by Mahoney (Steve Guttenburg). It's the stuff that classic Hollywood comedy is made of, with some of the most memorable gags to date...pun intended. It's rude and crude, but so damn lovable, of course the crudity would wash away in the films to come, and so would some of the edge along with it, sadly missed in all it's future sequels, and there are...many...

Most of the original cast returns to take on their first assignment, in the aptly titled Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment. The crudity only toned down slightly for a PG-13 (new at the time) rating. For better or worse a lot of the edge is missing, which only leaves a lot of the low-rate humor. A little more accessible to families, but leaving some of the hard-core R fans preferring the original. Great performance by Bob"cat" Goldthwait, in his series debut. It is a bridge though to what the series was to become, and pretty much retain from here on out...

First off, it's rated PG. Most of the original cast is back, including some new recruits from part 2, as the gang is back in training, in the aptly titled...f-it, I'm not typing it out...anyway, their back, and training new recruits. I'm getting redundant, but bare with me. Did I mention It's rated PG? It is a decent sequel, has a few memorable moments, the new recruits are funny, but the edge, and crudity has taken a back-seat to a more family friendly atmosphere, and a little wink-wink here and there, but nothing too dangerous or off-putting to parents of younger viewers...

I have to say this is my little guilty pleasure of the series, yeah it's a bit cheesy and really low-brow compared to the first and second films, and more like it's predisessor, but it has it's moments, and some of the most memorable since the first. Sadly or not so sadly depending on your tastes and what you'll admit, (just admit it, it makes you sad too), this is the last time Steve Guttenberg, Bob"cat" Goldthwait, and a few others would join the cast.

Okay, by now, you like the producers are sick of watching these as they are making them, 4 was an up in the series that was seeming to go down-hill, and so you go into 5 with either lowered, or highered expectations. Maybe I'm over shooting it, anyway, pretty simple premise, that was in production shortly after 4 obviously, considering I remember the preview being on the original release VHS of part 4. Inevitable, and pointless, but still has a few memorable scenes. Obligatory enough I guess, but you might give up after this one. Or at least the next...

Police Academy 6 tries to be clever, and has a bit of an old caper feel to it. But it's just a little overly long and boring at times. Some of the gags are obviously feeling old, and my marathons usualy sputter out before I watch this one, but I do get around to it once every few years, defiantly more than....

I'm not even sure this is a movie.
I mean it looks like a movie, because it says Police Academy, but it's not Police Academy 7...I mean it is, but it's just called: Police Academy: Mission to Moscow. They are in Moscow...and it's been 5 years since the last mission by the bumbling recruits. I've tried to watch this....movie....a few times. It just doesn't seem to make sense, I mean, I'm seeing movie stars, a few characters I remember. They just seem...weird, and very strait to video-ish. The soul is gone. Packaged for your home entertainment only.

I remember watching this after Police Academy 5 had come out, it wasn't very good, the animation was okay, but the characterizations and voices were horrible.

Only vaguely remember catching a few episodes of this short lived TV series that did feature a few members of the cast from time to time I guess, I would probably watch it again, but doubt I'd pay for it.

All in all, the Police Academy gang has given a lot of embarrassed people a lot of good and bad entertainment, but it's been a lot dammit, and that's good enough for me!