Movie Review: The Naked Gun
The Naked Gun is an iconic film series from the Zucker Brothers starring Leslie Nielsen, based on the Police Squad television series. This 1988 spoof cop comedy follows the misadventures of Lieutenant Frank Drebben of police squad, a clumsy buffoon of a detective who somehow manages to land on his feet, bumbling his way through cases and constantly causing mayhem without knowing it. Drebben seems to do it with gusto, putting the police department’s reputation on the line as well as being a public nuisance with a heart of gold.
A playful and formulaic spoof, the television series created a number of recurring jokes through shifty wordplay and over-the-top comedy, setting up the rubber-faced Leslie Nielsen in a perfectly cast role that would define his career as “that guy from The Naked Gun”. Having made his way from Airplane! through The Naked Gun trilogy to films like Spy Hard, Nielsen became a lovable buffoon whose comic timing and deadpan delivery make him one of the best. As a comedy, The Naked Gun still holds up by today’s comedy standards with many quotable quotes and timeless jokes. Inept and out of his depth, he somehow manages to get the job done without breaking a sweat, foiling the bad guys and winning the hearts of many with his unflappable confidence and zeal for a hard day’s police work.
A beloved trilogy which unfortunately became a case of diminishing returns, it seemed almost unthinkable that a remake would be on the cards, especially with latter-day action star Liam Neeson in the lead role. While Leslie Nielsen and Liam Neeson sound similar, there’s very little in terms of likeness or even similarities beyond them being older white guys who like to shoot stuff. The Naked Gun reboot essentially is a years-later sequel where the “son of Drebben” tries to live up to his father’s legacy at Police Squad… oh, and foil an international big tech conspiracy.
Leading into the same brand of comedy established by The Naked Gun, the 2025 film from writer-director Akiva Schaffer attempts to capture the essence of the original, paying homage to Nielsen and the supporting cast with a constant barrage of jokes varying from absurd visuals to fun wordplay. There are many parallels when it comes to satire and spoof comedy rarely taking anything seriously. The difference is that the reboot doesn’t have the luxury of time, forced to exit scenes early, unlike the predecessor.
Liam Neeson is fully committed and honours a casting call that makes more sense when you actually see the film with the towering actor doing everything he can to latch onto this special brand of silly. He may not have the rubber face charm or innocence of Nielsen, who made being a doofus an art form, but commands the respect of many years of action films, able to bring it even though he’s not that known for comedy. He plays opposite Pamela Anderson, filling in the plus-sized high heels of Priscilla Presley and going for broke when it comes to playing a “femme fatale” turned love interest. Jack Huston is known for his bad guy roles and does so once again with a shark smile, providing the necessary villainy and semi-plausible world threat.
The Naked Gun reboot starts with aplomb, doing everything in its power to prove to the audience that it knows what it’s doing. The original The Naked Gun has a more comical feel whereas the modern take is grittier when it comes to tone, trying to bridge action and comedy. While a noble effort with some hilarious moments that truly revel in true Naked Gun’s wacky style, unfortunately, much like The Other Guys, this is a tale of two halves. The misses start to outweigh the hits after a lull and The Naked Gun reboot doesn’t recover, escalating the stakes but derailing in terms of laughs.
“You have the most beautiful eyes… can I kiss them?”
It was always going to be a tough mountain to climb after such a beloved and iconic series with an irreplaceable star. The Naked Gun reboot pales in comparison to the original in terms of the setups, the performances and that wink-wink charm. Liam Neeson is no slouch, but doesn’t quite have the charm to crank up the laughs, mostly going for the straight commitment to the scene to land the jokes. He’s definitely giving it his all, much like the film itself, which does try hard. While it certainly lands many of the concept jokes and even a lot of the wordplay, it does tend to taper off as it loses confidence in its ability to boomerang repeat jokes.
A running coffee gag loses steam and it just seems as though things become a bit too forced, unable to rest easy in having truly earned the comedic setups. The Naked Gun reboot’s commitment to entertaining its audience is ever-present and this makes the film watchable in the hopes of the next big laugh, playing out almost like the trilogy itself in terms of quality. Things go from great to so-so as the co-lead romance develops and the plot’s limits are reached. A fun and silly movie that comes at a time where everyone could use a laugh – it remains a welcome distraction.
Unfortunately for Akiva Schaffer, this noble effort is also a mostly forgettable one. In spite of several laugh-out-loud moments, it just doesn’t match up in terms of the jokes, the characters, or the modern reinvention. Trying to squeeze as much material out of each of the comedic swings, a contrived feel undercuts much of the early groundwork. There was a much more natural follow-through from The Naked Gun, possibly owing to its Police Squad star making the jump to film.
Trying to do a freeze-frame joke after the credits seems like a good idea but sums up the film’s promise and eventual issues, not quite having the right fit in terms of cast or really knowing what to do with the joke itself. The Naked Gun reboot does help us understand why the original was so hilarious and makes you want to watch these films to relive some of the wacky comedy that made them so popular in their time. Now dated and a bit on the slow side – lingering in scenes, the David Zucker didn’t lean on CGI – making every slapstick comedy moment hard-earned.
A misfire, the new The Naked Gun does show there’s an appreciation for this silly brand of spoof comedy, which did get degraded in recent years thanks in part to low-grade spoof movies by Friedberg and Seltzer. It also shows just how diligent and smart one has to be in order to successfully be stupid-funny. A curious exercise which is somewhat redeemed by some of its bigger laughs with Liam Neeson in an uncharacteristic role and the re-emergence of Pamela Anderson, this is a case of the one that got away. Based on this hit-and-miss remake, it would be surprising to see a sequel get greenlit. As it stands, there are enough genuinely funny moments to give it the benefit of the doubt.
The bottom line: Overcooked
