Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 8, 2023

The “Police Academy” film series was put to sleep after 1989’s “Police Academy 6: City Under Siege” failed to entice practically anyone into theaters to keep up with the kooky cops. For producer Paul Maslansky, death was only the beginning, working to launch “Police Academy” as a live-action television show, an animated program, a theme park stunt experience, and there was even a short-lived toy line to keep the brand name alive. Sensing a shot to revive the franchise with another theatrical endeavor, Maslansky assembles 1994’s “Police Academy: Mission to Moscow,” sensing the exotic nature of a picture set in Russia, and actually shot there, might be enough to capture audience attention. He’s wrong, and while using Russia as a backdrop for American police shenanigans is certainly different, there’s absolutely nothing in “Mission to Moscow” that’s fresh, interesting, or entertaining. It’s a chore to sit through, almost playing like a parody of a “Police Academy” production.

“The Game” is the hottest video game in the world, making its inventor, Russian gangster Konali (Ron Perlman), a rich man with big plans to use an upcoming sequel as a way to access computer systems anywhere, allowing him to plan major crimes. Local law enforcement, led by Commandant Rakov (Christopher Lee), needs help, turning to pal Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) and his Police Academy team, including Lt. Callahan (Leslie Easterbrook), Captain Harris (G.W. Bailey), Jones (Michael Winslow), Tackleberry (David Graf), and Cadet Connors (Charlie Schlatter), an ambitious young man who’s added himself to the mission. Arriving in Moscow, the police go to work, finding an unusually slippery villain in Konali, while Lassard goes missing, accidentally made part of a local family. Working with their American skills while battling Russian culture, the police try to get close to Konali, bungling many opportunities to arrest him.

What’s known about “Mission to Moscow” is that it was a difficult feature to make. The production was confronted by the volatility of Russia at the time, putting pressure on cast and crew to make a wacky comedy in the middle of an unstable area of the world. Filming around Moscow is meant to impress, and, for some, the chance to see Russia as it was in the early 1990s may be enough to make it through the run time. For everyone else, “Mission to Moscow” is a grueling sit, with director Alan Metter (“Back to School”) and writers Randolph Davis and Michele S. Chodos unable to dream up a single inspired moment of comedy in the movie, even with a five-year-long gap between installments.

Instead of a funky Russian crime story, “Mission to Moscow” offers the same broad antics from any “Police Academy” movie, only here the energy level is way down and bits are non-starters. There’s Harris and his recent move to surveillance (what?), working his way to spots where he can spy on the enemy, only to get covered in urine and somehow end up as part of the Bolshoi Ballet. Who knows. Jones does some BMX bike demos in a Russian park (what?). And Lassard ends up in the home of a grieving Russian family, soon spitting eggs into an older man’s mouth (what?). Tackleberry owns the “aged like milk” moment of “Mission to Moscow,” sharing his displeasure with Russian police that America has come down hard on excessive force, including the elimination of his beloved chokeholds.

Weirdly, Callahan is suddenly promoted to a lead player, enjoying plenty of screen time as a lusty member of the force is sent undercover, used as bait to lull Konali into a state of submission. Easterbrook gets an opportunity to sing and actually act, which she does well, showing more presence here than in any of the previous sequels. Romantic happenings are reserved for Connors, who’s meant to be the Mahoney figure of “Mission to Moscow,” but he’s no scamp. The character is too vanilla to summon a devilish sense of humor, mostly used as the “cute guy” working to pick up Katrina (Claire Forlani), a local who’s ready to see the world beyond Russian control. It’s all very formulaic and pointless, even with a plot that has a defined end game, with the Americans out to stop Konali before he launches his new video game.

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers decent detail, with a softer exploration of skin particulars and costuming, including heavier winter outfits for Russian tours. Locations are a big selling point for the feature, and exteriors maintain decent depth, showing off the highlights of the area. Performance rooms also carry dimension. Colors are appreciable, with brighter reds throughout the viewing experience. Most clothing choices favor neutral hues, with grays and blacks common. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. Source is in good condition.

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix secures clear dialogue exchanges for the stereo production, doing well with performance choices and heavy accents, maintaining intelligibility. Scoring cues are crisp, ranging from the bold orchestral push of the main theme to cartoony music used to sweeten comedic bits. Sound effects are basic and appreciable. While not a problem, volume level is a little odd, with "Mission to Moscow" much quieter than the other features, requiring some significant volume boost to enjoy.

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "Underneath the Mission" (10:06, SD) is a 2004 look at the making of "Police Academy: Mission to Moscow," featuring interviews with producer Paul Maslansky, and actors George Gaynes, G.W. Bailey, Leslie Easterbrook, and Michael Winslow. Maslansky celebrates the feature's timing as an American production permitted to shoot Russia, making it one of the first endeavors to achieve such access. Easterbrook's moment as a lounge singer is analyzed, tasked with pre-recording the song in a massive space. Bolshoi Ballet memories are shared, with Bailey joining the fun, though he remains hazy as to why the character was involved. A counterrevolution broke out during the shoot, adding some tension to the production, with Winslow often called in to show the locals, via sound effects, that a "Police Academy" movie was being made.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:27, SD) is included.

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Mission to Moscow" is one of those movies where it's kinda-sorta easy to understand why it was made, with Maslansky not about to give up his golden goose. However, it's hard to understand why it was made in such an amazingly lazy manner, as the writing is just the pits, doing straight fart jokes and building bizarre sight gags to pass the time, and Metter is no help, never challenging the odd, almost nonhuman ideas he's meant to capture on film. There's the Russian gimmick, sure, with the helmer taking viewers to Red Square and the Moscow Circus, which has the potential to be amazing. And yet, nothing in the picture connects, playing dumb instead of fun. And there's not even a crazy stunt sequence to close the endeavor, with Maslansky losing his drive to end "Police Academy: Mission to Moscow" on a high note of physical danger. But never fear, dear reader, the feature does actually end. I know it feels like it won't, but there's closure here, just no comfort.