The original 'Police Academy' was a good and very entertaining film, it wasn't great and will never be one of my favourite comedies or overall films, but it clearly knew what it wanted to be so it was easy to take it for what it was and what it set out to do.None of the sequels are up to the same level as the original 'Police Academy', most of them actually being pretty bad or worse and lose what was enjoyable about the original in the first place. 'Police Academy 2' is one of the better sequels by quite some way and one of the just about tolerable ones. Sadly however the drop in quality from the first is quite significant which is what makes it nowhere near as good.'Police Academy 2' is not without its strengths. The cast mostly do well with what they have. Steve Guttenberg is fun and amiable, and there is enthusiastic support from particularly Michael Winslow, George Gaynes and Bubba Smith. Bobcat Goldthwait's performance is not easy to forget, he gives it his all and while it is a long way from a subtle performance (Goldthwait has never been known for subtlety) he's fun.While the laughs are too far and between, there are a few funny lines and a couple of scenes that work. The highlight is the shampoo/superglue scene, which is actually pretty hilarious and one of the series' funniest moments. The Bruce Lee imitation is also priceless. The score is catchy and infectious as ever.Howard Hesseman clearly looks embarrassed however, and no wonder, and Marion Ramsey is let down by that she has little to do and the writers didn't know what to do with her.Admittedly, there were a few times where the original 'Police Academy' had a few miss moments, the second film has only a few moments that work and the rest misfire. This is due to being poorly timed, feeling laboured and with some abrupt shifts from one to another, parts that are more grossly crude than anything remotely amusing and too much of it has a style of humour that feels far too toned down, which makes the film feel leaden and bland.Production values look rushed, like there were severe time and budget constraints, while what little there is of the story (most of it close to non-existent rather than thin) is an incredibly lazy-feeling replay. There is also a completely redundant and pointless subplot in the final third that really should have been left on the editing room floor. Most of the script takes the dumbness way too far and some of it is pretty puerile. The direction is as barely there as the story.In summary, a disappointment compared to the previous film but better than what would come later. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Due to a dramatic escalation in violent crimes within his precinct "Captain Pete Lassard" (Howard Hesseman) turn to his brother "Commandant Lassard" (George Gaynes) at the nearby police academy for help. In turn Commandant Lassard gives him 6 of his best cadets to help out. What Captain Lassard doesn't know is that one of his subordinates by the name of "Lieutenant Mauser" (Art Metrano) is secretly undermining his efforts to correct the problem in the hope of taking over the precinct. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that, even though some of the same gags from the previous movie were recycled, it was still an entertaining sequel for the most part. I especially liked the performance of Bobcat Goldthwait (as the gang leader named "Zed") who I thought added another dimension to this film all by himself. Again, while it wasn't a great movie by any means it was still somewhat enjoyable and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Six of the recruits from the first film have graduated to the police force. Their first assignment is to stop a gang led by a weirdo named Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait). To make matters more difficult, an ambitious lieutenant is determined to make sure they fail so that he can get the police captain's job. All of the returnees from the previous movie are fun here. The best new addition to the series is that of Bobcat Goldthwait, who has some of the funniest moments in the movie. Replacing G.W. Bailey as the heavy is Art Metrano. He's not as good as Bailey but he does okay. His dim-witted sidekick, played by Lance Kinsey, is better. It's not as funny as the first movie but the likable cast helps it a lot.

It's a natural progression, but the film was certainly rushed into production. Because of this they dropped the ball in certain aspects. Only 6 of the original cadets are able to appear, which forces more focus onto a love affair for Tackleberry. This actually works out, as Cattrall's boring character is nowhere to be seen. This allows Mahoney to go free and not be tied down. Unfortunately Harris is out, due to Bailey being busy with other commitments. Luckily the new antagonist isn't terrible, but he just misses that spark. Seeing the cadets out on the beat is quite smile inducing, if repetitive. Winslow uses his vocal techniques, people are taken aback by Smith's size, Ramsey is belittled because of her voice etc. It's familiar territory, and the new characters are hardly stand-out. Let's face it, if a film franchise like this had tried to develop its characters, we'd be even more disappointed.