Had it not been for Police Academy, which had been released a decade earlier, Petrie's film would have seemed a little funnier because it would have looked less secondary. But if you remove the subjunctive inclination, it resembles one of the last and not very successful parts of the mentioned film almanac, the whole novelty of which is the change of dislocation. Since the plot assumes the US intervention in the military showdowns of other countries, which has become usual in reality, the entire second half of the film is full of jingoism, while in the first, on the contrary, there is a little scoff at the armed forces and good jokes. Thus, “Army Adventures” makes sense to watch exactly until the moment when the heroes fall into the desert – then nothing archismic and memorable will not be.
In fact, the picture is valuable not so much a quality script and excellent dialogue (both, in fact, demonstrates the middle level), as a good and played cast. The exemplary team of the nineties is two white guys (normal and freakish), one black and a girl; in our time, a representative of sexual minorities would necessarily be added, but then it was good and so. It is noteworthy that all the actors were little-known even then, and now only the most ardent moviegoer knows about them. With a further career, no one did, but least of all in this sense, Laurie Petty was lucky - after "Tankista" she was not offered normal roles, while the rest glowed at least in series with a rating above seven. In addition to the actors who embodied the main characters, I want to note Lynn Whitfield - Sergeant Ladd in her performance deserves, if not a standing ovation, then a mental like at least. Decent acting is the lead that makes you watch the film to the end, even when the dynamics begin to subside and the degree of humor decreases to a critical level.
Still, it is impossible to call the second half of the tape completely disastrous - at least, if humor ends here, then action begins instead: kidnapping of heroes, their wanderings in the desert, survival in extreme conditions, collisions with dangerous representatives of fauna and so on. If you like spectacular explosions, then there will even be them: the closer to the final, the more special effects (normal by the standards of the nineties, although now any amateur will draw in Maya). However, for the lamp atmosphere and the almost complete absence of vulgarity "Army Adventures" want to forgive a lot - after all, this is a cheerful and funny film with heroes to whom you attach your soul. A little more balance in the scenario would make it an order of magnitude better, but it’s not bad either, unless you expect too much in advance.