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The Naked Gun – There’s Something to See Here

Let's be honest, the words "comedy reboot" are usually a threat, not a promise. In an age where almost every new comedy feels like it was written by a committee or a child, I had little choice but to set the bar low. I went in fully prepared for a cautious, sanitized imitation that would politely nod to the classics while desperately trying not to offend anyone. And my god I was wrong to have even thought this. This new Naked Gun isn't a cautious, deferential homage; it's a loud, obnoxious, and hilarious successor that understood the assignment completely, and deserves the name the Naked Gun.

Image by Wikipedia

Drebin, Frank Drebin Jr.

The elephant in the room was always going to be the casting of Frank Drebin. Trying to imitate Leslie Nielsen would be a fatal mistake, and thankfully, Liam Neeson doesn’t even try. Instead, he brilliantly weaponizes his own established persona. Where Nielsen’s Drebin was a man of unwarranted confidence, Neeson’s is a man of grim, granite-faced determination who just happens to be related to the best man on Police Force (and the funniest). He delivers every line with the same gravelly seriousness he’d use to threaten a kidnapper over the phone, which makes the ensuing chaos ten times funnier. He’s not a replacement for Nielsen; he’s a partner in core idiocy.

Image by People

Don't Miss The Background

The soul of this franchise has always been its' silliness in the face of, what should be, serious situations. The script is an absolute assault of non-stop gags, running the gamut from groan-inducing puns to incredibly clever background sight gags you’ll only catch on a second viewing. The commitment to the bit was enlightening and heartwarming . From changing from a child into a grown man instantly like Mission Impossible style, the one-liners that are easily memeable and of course the "They took it at face value" jokes were awesome. "Take a chair miss" "Oh no thank you, I have enough at home". Just priceless. Not every single joke lands, of course, but they come so fast and furiously that you don't have time to dwell on the duds before the next three have already made you laugh.

Image by Screen Love Affair

A Plot Only a Mother Could Love (And That's the Point)

What’s the movie about? I honestly couldn't tell you in great detail, and that is the highest compliment I can pay it. There’s some sort of nonsensical plot about a tech billionaire trying to turn the general population into mindless beasts so that he and his lackeys can rule them, but as with the originals, the story is just a flimsy clothesline on which to hang an endless series of comedic set pieces.  I mean come on, the plot device is actually named "The P.L.O.T device" just brilliant. The film understands that the plot is, and should be, the least important part of the experience. It exists purely to shuttle our oblivious hero from one disastrous situation to the next, and it performs this function beautifully.

Image by Screen Rant

It's a Good Time, but Not A Long Time

As the movie goes on however, the laughs get lower and the jokes become fewer and fewer between, which although is kinda' par for most of the Naked Gun movies, was a little bit of a let down. You of course want to laugh the whole time, but it's a small nit pick.

Image by Screen Rant

Anderson was Great!

Pamela Anderson was actually really good in this. Her timing for the jokes was very good, her acting on par with Neeson's, just overall good performance by her. I don't mean to sound so surprised, but she kinda' came back out of nowhere in this.

Image by Screen Rant

Final Thoughts and Score: 7 out of 10

The whole movie may not be a laugh fest, but I don't feel like that was the point for this movie. This movie did its very best to not just be funny but to not insult the legacy of the existing films. That is kinda' out of place now-a-days. There are so many franchises out there that are slapping a their IP name on a film that just doesn't deserve it, that this was refreshing. It was great to see that there was easily care and love put into this.


Pros:

✅ Liam Neeson’s deadpan stoicism is a perfect fit for the new Drebin.
✅ An incredible joke-per-minute ratio that rewards multiple viewings.
✅ Fearlessly unapologetic and absurd in a way modern comedies rarely are.
✅ Feels like a genuine sequel, not a hollow remake.

Cons:

❌ As is tradition, the plot is completely disposable.
❌ A handful of jokes don't quite connect, feeling either forced or a bit dated.
❌ The jokes and laughs falloff closer to the end of the movie.

This film achieved the improbable: it resurrected a beloved comedy classic without embalming it in reverence. It successfully captures the anarchic, rapid-fire spirit of the Naked Gun formula for a new era, proving that truly great ridiculous comedy is timeless. It’s the best-case scenario for a project that could have gone wrong in a thousand different ways.
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