The Naked Gun (2025)

I think anyone with half a brain knows that movies aren’t always as good as they used to be. There are good ones every once in a while but they don’t usually measure up to the classics. I don’t think my stubborn and hypercritical ass could have been proven more wrong when I went to see the Naked Gun reboot. I wrote about the original one in my last review and talked about how it made me bust up all the way through and the new film had just about the same effect on me. Not only that, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Liam Neeson in a role that contributed to that result. I was always a fan of him and I love his serious work but his comedic talents really shine here. Neeson is an incredible talent and I think his role here just about proves that the man can do anything (even though in real life, he has a tendency to say more stupid things than I do). This was a huge joy ride from beginning to end and I loved that I was able to see this in a packed theatre with an audience that was having just as much fun as I did. I have more to add to this modern continuation of the original franchise so let’s unmask the nonsense!

     Like I said, this film is a reboot and it also serves as a legacy sequel to the old films as well. It follows Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the legendary clueless detective, who must solve a murder case and save Police Squad from being shut down. As I’ve made clear before, I love Airplane and I loved watching the original Naked Gun. I’ll admit, I still haven’t seen the last two films from the original franchise (yeah, that’s coming from a movie-obsessed Neuro-Freak) but I’ve heard some pretty good things and I’ll definitely give them a watch at some point, and similar to those films, this one had a funny gag every five seconds and I don’t recall one joke ever falling flat. It was funny from the very start and it never let up. The movie also features a talented and funny cast that includes Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder, and Kevin Durand. Everybody contributed to this hilarious satire in the best possible way and I don’t think I could have been more impressed with how well they did. The story was very fast-paced and it ran smoothly with its 85-minute running time. It can be hard to accomplish something like this but writer and director Akiva Schaffer did exactly that. I’ve talked about how movies can pick people up on bad days and this one is a perfect example of that, just like the original. I know it probably doesn’t get more classic than Leslie Nielson but Liam Neeson measures up to that spectacularly. His character is someone you can totally see as the son of the OG and he delivers on the humor from the very moment he appears.

     If you want proof that comedy isn’t dead, then definitely go check this film out in the theater when you get the chance. It’s stupid beyond all reason but if you know anything about parodies or satires, then that’s to be expected. Plus, unlike a lot of parodies and satires these days, this one knew how to deliver and it didn’t feel like it was written by numbskulls who rely only on nonstop references rather than genuine humor (I’m talking about you, Disaster Movie). So, my overall score would have to be a 9 out of 10. Whether you’ve seen the original franchise or not, I would still recommend checking this film out. Truly a masterclass in absurdity.