After years away from the force, Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) is pulled back into duty when a global conspiracy threatens to unleash chaos. But with Drebin, disaster is never far behind — his attempts to save the world only create new layers of absurdity. From high-speed chases that go hilariously wrong to undercover missions that collapse in slow motion, The Naked Gun revives the classic spoof format with a modern twist — where the crime plot exists only to hold the jokes together, and it’s not supposed to. In this kind of slapstick and spoof-driven comedy, the story functions like a rope holding a thousand jokes dangling from it. The looser the rope, the more room there is for gags to swing. The Naked Gun understands this completely. Akiva Schaffer keeps the story almost intentionally secondary, letting the script breathe enough to hang joke after joke, gag after gag — a deliberate embrace of chaos.
At first, Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. feels like a mismatch — a stoic action legend trapped inside a farce. But that awkwardness is the secret weapon. His grave delivery and unshakable seriousness become the perfect setup for the ridiculous lines he’s given. It takes a few minutes for it to click, but once it does, Neeson turns his poker face into comedy gold. The film almost winks at his past roles, using them to subvert every expectation we have of him.
Pamela Anderson is a genuine surprise — she doesn’t just play the nostalgic figure; she owns the absurd tone and rolls with it. She’s a standout in a movie full of chaos. Danny Huston, on the other hand, feels slightly out of place. He’s a good actor and fits the “classic villain” mold perfectly, but Schaffer could’ve mined more comedy from him. His presence grounds the movie when it sometimes needed more punchlines from his side of the conflict.
For those who love stupid jokes, this movie will absolutely work. The comedy is dumb, exaggerated, and borderline abused — and that’s exactly the point. Schaffer’s direction (like in Popstar) commits to the stupidity with such conviction that it almost becomes artful. The movie knows it’s silly and doesn’t apologize for it. It’s packed with jokes, sometimes to an overwhelming degree — and that’s both its strength and weakness.
The film aims for inclusivity of humor — it doesn’t expect everyone to laugh at every joke. It’s more like a comedy roulette: while one person bursts into laughter, another stays silent until the next gag lands. This rhythm creates a communal feel, like being in a packed theater where laughter jumps around the room. Still, the sheer volume of jokes becomes tiring after a while. The pacing feels uneven; the gags come in waves rather than in a steady flow, which can make it exhausting by the third act.
You can’t argue that the film isn’t funny — it absolutely is. It’s the kind of broad, slapstick comedy we’ve stopped seeing in Hollywood for years. For anyone who grew up loving The Naked Gun, Hot Shots, or Airplane!, this feels like coming home. Yet, it doesn’t reach the wild heights of those classics. It’s a tribute more than a reinvention — a respectful salute rather than a revolution.
Still, in a cinematic landscape obsessed with sarcasm and meta-humor, this revival of “stupid honesty” feels refreshing. It may not push the genre forward, but it reminds us how fun it is when a film stops pretending to be clever and just wants to make you laugh.
Naked Gun is both a reminder and a reintroduction. It doesn’t break new ground, but it doesn’t have to. It’s a smartly dumb movie, made with genuine love for a bygone form of humor. For some, it’ll feel like a loud, overstuffed nostalgia trip; for others, it’s a long-overdue reminder that sometimes “stupid” still works for comedy.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ⯨ ☆ ☆ ☆ (6.5/10)