Search - Police Academy 1-4 Collection: 4 Film Favorites on DVD

Cheap Collection with wrong info on cover about first film

A. Snyder | 09/21/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Years ago I use to own the Police Academy box set but had to sell the darn thing as I was a broke college student (those were sad years). The Police Academy films were never art but I enjoyed them for what they were - dumb comedies with fun characters. Now I am happy again because Warner Bros re-released the Police Academy films in 2 separate value packs (The first four are available in this collection called "4 Film Favorites: Police Academy 1-4 Collection" and the last three are in the set "4 Film Favorites: Cop Comedy Collection" packaged with Loaded Weapon 1). The packaging of these value packs isn't nearly as cool as the original releases (despite the dreaded snap cases) but overall the price for these collections is unbeatable.

All four films are presented on 2 double sided discs. I don't like double sided discs as they are easy to damage but then again the price makes me forgive this. Be warned though as the top of the second disc can come with some scuffs because the drawer the first disc sits on rubs against the top of the second disc.

Warner Bros did screw up on the details on the back. The back states that Police Academy 1 is in 16X9 widescreen and is loaded with special features - the same as the special edition release. This is not true. The edition they used for this DVD set is the original out-of-print full screen edition. This didn't upset me too bad because some of the sequels are also only available in full screen...however this screw up could make a lot of buyers mad. You have been warned. This isn't the first time Warner has screwed up on the details on the cover art. The Dirty Dozen/Kelly's Heroes double feature proclaimed Dirty Dozen was anamorphic. It wasn't. The 4 Film Favorites: Martial Arts release proclaimed the films were full screen and on double sided discs. They were actually widescreen and on single sided discs (for once a mistake in the favor of the purchaser!). For people who need to know Parts 2 and 3 are anamorphic widescreen and Part 4 is Full Screen.

There you go, Police Academy 1 ISN'T widescreen as proclaimed on the box and the discs are double sided....but for the price one can't beat this collection. Make sure you pick up the second set to complete the series!"

A defect in the cover but not a bad deal.

Zbu | Michigan, USA | 09/25/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The first two reviews are correct: the version of the first film is the out of print fullscreen edition without the extras. However, the rest are the same as the released versions, along with Police Academy 4 still being (bafflingly so) a fullscreen version."

You Get What You Pay For

Kevin R. Austra | Delaware Valley, USA | 05/07/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD set contains the first four movies, arguably the best four, of the POLICE ACADEMY series. Once Steve Guttenberg left the franchise the following movies were of a direct-to-video quality. The original POLICE ADADEMY is now a classic. There are some truly funny bits in this film. Michael Winslow was at his freshest and funniest. The trailing three films were okay, but for the most part they were repackaged versions of the first film.

This specific collection is a very economical way to collect the original four movies. So my bottom line is that it is well worth the nominal price, under $10 in some stores, to pick up a copy. It certainly allowed me to finally dispatch my VHS copies.

As noted in other reviews this collection has a few nitpicky drawbacks: These are double sided DVDs which are awkward to handle and more prone to scratches. The picture quality is superior to that of the VHS versions, but not quite the digitally remastered product we have come to expect in this day and age. Finally only two of the movies are presented in widescreen. Whether the lack of widescreen was intentional or not is anyone's guess.

This DVD set is a great value if you enjoy the POLICE ACADEMY movies, but are not an absolute die hard fan."