The Naked Gun

• Directed by Akiva Schaffer
• July 28, 2025 (SVA Theater) / August 1, 2025 (US)
• Based on the 1982 TV series Police Squad! and The Naked Gun film series created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker

When a tech billionaire works to unleash a world threatening plot, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. must stop him and save Police Squad.

It has been ages (or feels like it) since a major studio released a genuine attempt at comedy. The Hangover Trilogy aside, there have been movies that are lighthearted but none that went for the laugh like ZAZ in their heyday. Enter The Naked Gun ‘25 which is as much a reboot of the franchise as it is a sequel to the first three movies and the cult classic television series.

The original Naked Gun films along with Airplane! are comedy classics filled with dad jokes and many visual puns that are not necessarily caught in one or two viewings. This engages in that but often apes what was done originally though not on the same level. It works best when it gets closer to the humor more in line with what Seth MacFarlane, who produces this film, is known for.

This was a little bit of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, I enjoyed many of the gags and much of what they tried to do with it similar to Naked Gun that worked, but on the same token there was plenty that didn’t work. It just felt like they were mimicking in a manner reminiscent of Airplane II: The Sequel. That lacked the involvement of ZAZ and mimicked rather than did something of its own.

This is funnier than some other films put out today that are billed as comedies but nearly on the same level as the original Naked Gun Trilogy. It starts with a generic parody of an action movie opening rather than the traditional opener with the camera mounted atop a police car though that does show at THE VERY END with what looks like footage from a previous entry. I’m not trying to talk down on the movie. I laughed. Not nearly as much as I did on the original films, but I still laughed. It has genuine moments of genuine comedy and downright silliness.

The story revolves around a billionaire named Richard Cane (Danny Huston) with a plan to use a machine called the P.L.O.T. (Primordial Law Of Toughness) Device to make the population go crazy and kill each other, while simultaneously in bunkers around the world protecting a group of elite who then plans to re-populate the Earth in his image. A little too big of a plan for a Naked Gun movie but Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) isn’t globetrotting.

Danny Huston certainly inherited level of talent from his famous father and is almost always good to watch no matter what he does but I think he was not the best choice. There’s something in his delivery that doesn’t fit. Ricardo Montalban in the first Naked Gun was ideal casting. He played it 100% straight but Huston speaks in a lighter manner in contrast to other evil characters he has portrayed. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Neeson is good in comedy, but best as the straight man. Here he’s often trying to do the Leslie Nielsen dialogue of Frank Drebin. Neeson may be best at being a straight man in a comedy (see A Million Ways to Die in the West), but he doesn’t do too bad here. Mostly it’s in moments where his dramatic skills are needed to sell something comedic such as the shame Drebin feels about eating multiple chili dogs in one day. Speaking of which during that moment he is talking about a guy’s rap sheet and the person he is interrogating is rapper Busta Rhymes.

His cinematic (and real-life) romantic partner of Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport turns in a quality slapstick performance. Though she gained notice on Home Improvement, she is better known for providing bounce and jiggles on Baywatch. In a late career renaissance she has been taking risks and demonstrating talent previously unseen.

If you pay attention you can see a few gags that acknowledge the previous films such as the erroneous printing of ‘Police Squad’ on doors. There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo by Priscilla Presley and the obligatory appearance of “Weird Al” Yankovic as himself as the planned only entertainer left on planet earth performing to the evil billionaires.

I like the attempts at absurdity and silliness. Comical misunderstandings and improbable yet in the given scenario logical events happen. There is a snowman scene when Drebin and Davenport are paired involving a living snowman. It moves from magical Christmas into something that looks like it took inspiration from the Jack Frost horror films.

For a movie taking place around New Year’s Eve there is not a hint of Christmas or a coming New Year most anywhere in The Naked Gun ‘25. Then again this movie was released over the summer. There’s no need to make it look ridiculously decorated but the occasional tree or wreath is warranted. The closest we get is the snowman scene.

The script moves smoothly and the film does not overstay its welcome. At 85 minutes it does not try to get blood from a stone. Chemistry amongst the cast is good. Director Akiva Schaffer keeps a tight reign on things.

The Naked Gun ‘25 didn’t blow me away, but it did keep me entertained. It doesn’t measure up to the originals, but it is a breath of fresh air in film comedy and worth viewing.