The Naked Gun review: Charged with man’s laughter

Leslie Nielsen’s style of comedy is very hard to replicate. While most fans of his work will remember his iconic puns such as “Nice Beaver!” and “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley”, they are just the tip of the iceberg.

Re-watching the original The Naked Gun (1988), as well as episodes of Police Squad!, the show that spawned the film, much of the brilliance comes from the lightning-fast gags that come thick and fast. It’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it humour of the very best kind.  

…at many points, it had me choking on my popcorn, laughing

So, going into the new version of The Naked Gun – which is more of a sequel than a remake – I was very much on the lookout to see whether this quick, absurdist comedy was present throughout. 

Despite my doubts, I’m happy to report that 2025’s The Naked Gun did emulate its source material with flair, and at many points, it had me choking on my popcorn, laughing.

Is it as good as the original? No. But I still believe that fans of comedy classics such as Airplane! won’t regret buying a ticket.

The first third of the film is hard to fault, as this is where those snappy jokes are packed in. If you’ve watched the teaser trailer (linked above), you’ll already know how that bank heist scene goes down, but rest assured, you’ve not been spoiled for the rest of the scene. 

That leads perfectly into the beginning of Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr.’s investigation into a mysterious new case. We’re introduced to his bizarre squad who treat mugshots like modelling shoots and down about three million coffees per day, no matter where they are or what time it is.

I don’t want to spoil all the gags, but this section reminds me perfectly of this bribery scene from the original The Naked Gun, which will have you hooked right from the start, along with the poor fisherman (pun very much intended): 

Liam Neeson’s dedication to the role of Frank is apparent. While he takes inspiration from his ‘dad’ (all the detectives are children of the original cast… and yes, that includes Norbert), he also puts his own spin on this generation’s unlikely hero. He has no reservations about making a fool of himself – a stark contrast from his work on the Taken series.

Frank’s love interest is Beth Davenport, played by former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson. She’s a true crime author. Well, it’s true crime that she makes up – and all with a steamy twist. Having been the centre of much media scrutiny throughout her career, it’s brilliant to see her having such a blast with this film, alongside Neeson.  

That being said, there are areas in which this generation’s The Naked Gun could be stronger, and if it’s given the go-ahead for a sequel, I’d hope to see these elements rectified.  

While it’s a tad redundant to scrutinise the plot of a film this silly, I did feel my attention wane whenever the film’s focus was on its villain, Richard Cane, played by Danny Huston. And that’s a reasonable chunk of the running time.

This is not to discredit Huston, who certainly gives it his all. However, the dastardly scheme that Cane cooks up is a weaker version of the one seen in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman, which has a much more fleshed-out antagonist in Samuel L. Jackson.  

I often found that the jokes on the villain’s side fell flat, relying as they did on outdated references (which made me question who the filmmakers were targeting) and losing the quips that so many viewers love. Plus, these sort of jokes aren’t isolated to Cane’s plot – there are references to TiVo boxes, and a visual gag sequence that seems to mimic ones in the Austin Powers films.  

Would that stop me from recommending it? Absolutely not. The viewers in my screening were shown a tongue-in-cheek PSA led by Neeson about going out and supporting comedies in the cinemas, as it’s a genre that gets less love and attention these days. While this was very obviously a spoof, I think there’s a valid point there.  

Should you watch The Naked Gun (2025)?

The new version of Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun is a pleasant surprise. The first third, especially, truly emulates the humour and puns that made the original Leslie Nielsen films comedy gold.  

It does suffer from a weak villain plot and outdated references, but I truly hope that doesn’t stop former fans from seeing how Frank Drebin 2.0 takes down his enemies, one schoolgirl disguise at a time.  

The Naked Gun is out in cinemas this Friday, 1 August 2025. UK readers can buy tickets from Cineworld, Odeon and Vue, while US comedy fans can buy them from AMC Theatres and Fandango.

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