The Naked Gun (2025) Review

One genre that seems to have fallen from public favour in the past decade or two is the spoof film. While Scary Movie  and its army of copycats (Epic Movie, Meet The Spartans) were regular features of 2000s release slates, parodies of popular movies tend to be the domain of social media shorts in the modern era.

There was a time, however, when spoofs were big box office, and the kings of the genre were filmmaking trio David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker.Airplane and Top Secret! became cult hits in the 80s, but their most notable hit was undoubtedly The Naked Gun trilogy. 31 years on from the previous film, producer Seth MacFarlane (Ted) and director Akiva Schaffer (The Lonely Island) look to recapture the old magic with this reboot.

Liam Neeson stars as Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr, son of Leslie Nielsen’s original character in the new The Naked Gun. Like his father, Drebin is an ace at cracking cases, even if his reckless methods get him in trouble with his chief (CCH Pounder). When a mysterious woman (Pamela Anderson) comes to him looking for answers to her brother’s death, Drebin disregards orders to lay low and investigates, unveiling a conspiracy connected to Richard Cane (Danny Huston), a tech billionaire whose new mind control device threatens to destabilise society.

Every nostalgic revival has the aim of replicating that feeling you had when you saw the original films. In that sense, this reboot succeeds in sticking fairly close to the tone and humour of the Nielsen films. In fact, there’s a reasonable argument that this might qualify as a partial remake of the first movie. The story has a similar MacGuffin, while the script sticks rigidly to the same line of jokes (comedic misunderstandings, elaborate analogies, and a running joke about Drebin not being able to drive).

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That’s all well and good, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that these are heated-up ‘80s leftovers. A scene where Neeson’s bodycam footage reveals an embarrassing moment feels very similar to when Nielsen kept his microphone on in the first film, while the climactic MMA fight follows similar notes to the original’s baseball game finale. There’s little reinvention to bring the franchise into the 21st Century, which is especially surprising given that both MacFarlane and Schaffer have brought freshness to parody films in the past.

There are few complaints casting-wise, as Neeson makes a decent modern-day proxy for Nielsen, who himself was better known for serious roles prior to his move into comedy. The Taken star is game for a laugh, throwing himself into all kinds of embarrassing situations. He doesn’t quite have the masterful deadpan of his predecessor, but brings the occasional chuckle.

Anderson is no stranger to spoofs, having appeared in the third Scary Movie and 2008’s Superhero Movie. Like her co-star, she’s willing to make herself the punchline, although like Huston’s villain, it’s a paint-by-numbers rendition of what came before. Paul Walter Hauser feels underused as Ed Hocken Jr, the son of George Kennedy’s character, which is a shame given his abilities.

There’s nothing outrageously wrong with this new version of The Naked Gun, but even the most nostalgic of reboots requires some innovation; otherwise, what’s the point? With all the best jokes given away in the trailer, what remains is a faithful but rather pointless revival.

★★

In UK cinemas 1st August / Lian Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser / Dir: Akiva Schaffer/ Paramount Pictures/ 15

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Victoria Luxford

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