Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
A new batch of recruits arrives at Police Academy, this time a group of civilian volunteers who have joined Commandant Lassard's new Citizens on Patrol program. Although the community relations project has strong governmental support, a disgusted Captain Harris is determined to see it fail.
Filipe Manuel Neto@FilipeManuelNeto
**An honorable sequence where the script sounds better, although some comic material seems a little worn out.**
This is the fourth film in the prolific “Police Academy” franchise, which visibly marked the 80s and 90s, and which still brings good memories to many people today. I can say that it was one of the comic franchises that I enjoyed during my childhood and adolescence, and that I still see it from time to time.
In this fourth film, I felt that the production learned from the flaws of the previous films, especially when it comes to script writing. If the older films had in their weak scripts the biggest problem to overcome, this film responds with a more careful writing and the creation of a more logical story, capable of sustaining all sorts of jokes and comic situations created later. As a result, the film feels more like a cohesive work of cinema. However, it is undeniable that the comic material presented begins to show wear and tear and is not enough to make us laugh, even if it manages to do it several times.
For the last time, the film brings together all the main names of the cast and crew from the previous films, and the replacement of Jerry Parris by Jim Drake in the director's chair is barely perceptible: the new director has really managed to capture the spirit of the franchise and give it an honorable following. Steve Guttenberg says goodbye to his character, Mahoney, who will live for the last time, walking out the big door with a job well done. Michael Winslow and Bob Goldthwait were also in excellent shape and seem to have a lot of fun with their characters, along with the excellent Tim Kazurinsky. Sharon Stone was a surprising addition, but it works well thanks to the actress' physical beauty.
Technically, the film is very much on par with its predecessors, and the final aerial sequence really deserves a round of applause for the execution and the way it was done. Good sets, the costumes we already know, the soundtrack without major demerits or surprises and a decent cinematography make up the scenario of a film that, if it is not capable of enchanting, manages to convince most fans of the franchise.