So this weekend I wanted to put something on that I didn't need to focus on so I could game, work on my MAME, etc.
Police Academy beat out Mad Max: Fury Road because I knew that would captivate me and that wasn't my goal.
I'm happy to report that Police Academy is still a good film. Yes, it's very dated, but the jokes hold up. Granted, they're tame now, but there's still some chuckles.
What also holds up is the racism, sexism, and anti-gay attitudes of that era. Although, the racist bits are left to the "bad guys", and three of the main characters are black, so perhaps I will recant that part of my statement, but the rest is true.
There are no gay recruits. The biggest joke in the movie is the Blue Oyster Bar, a gay bar. Everyone inside is basically labeled as forcing their lifestyle on others. Gay slurs are uttered throughout the movie, even by the hero. The bar I could see people getting away with today, but a protagonist calling someone a "fag" in today's environment and not in a period piece? Unlikely.
Women get treated poorly too. There are three females of note in the movie. Hooks gets zero backstory and is only in the film to be the female lead's friend and to utter one line at the end. The female lead is given what could be an interesting backstory, but it only plays out in a 10 second opening shot in the movie and then is literally there to inspire the male lead and give him someone to save. The last female is a bad ass instructor who becomes weak for one of the male recruits' cock. There is one other female of note and her two scenes consist of her sucking two different cocks.
No wonder women's empowerment has become a big issue...
Anyway, the movie is amazing to see again because it shows how far Hollywood has come even in terms of comedies. There is NO plot to this film whatsoever, yet it worked back then. If this same film came out today, it'd get shredded.
Still, it wasn't a terribly disappointing visit to the past.
The same can't be said for Police Academy 2. Clearly just a cash in this movie is terrible. Yeah, there are still some chuckles and classic moments, but overall this is not a good movie. Even some of those chuckles don't stand up to the test of time. More so than the original, this one really feels dated
If I watch any more I'll update this thread. I might give 3 a shot as I think it's Guttenberg's last.