The Naked Gun is a new film premiering in theaters August 1, and serves as the legacy sequel to Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult. Directed by Akiva Schaffer, the film stars Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston. Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world: Lt. Frank Drebin Jr.
I didn’t rewatch the original trilogy before watching the newest one. Growing up, I remember growing up on this kind of humor between the original trilogy itself along with other spoofs like Scary Movie. They eventually got so popular that they eventually wore out their welcome, thus leading to no more comedies like this. I couldn’t even tell the last one there was. I honestly didn’t watch the original trilogy beforehand because I thought I outgrew this type of humor. As it turns out, this film proves it was the other way around.
The most common complaint I hear about humor is that they show all the good bits in the trailers. I try to stay away from trailers as much as possible, but sometimes, it is inevitable. Even though I knew where some of the jokes were coming up, I still cracked up laughing between how self-serious the movie tries to be and the overall delivery of the joke. I haven’t been to a movie theater in a long time where everyone around me was cracking up as much. It was a riot.
I know plenty of people were concerned with Liam Neeson taking over the main role. Leslie Nielsen was iconic in this role. In order for this franchise to continue though, the film had to of course recast the role since Nielsen is no longer with us. I have seen Neeson in various comedies, but nothing could prepare me for how good he is in this film. His brand of seriousness is perfect for what this film is going for. If Taken was the actor’s resurgence in action movies, I hope the same can be said with this for comedies. Not only do I want to see that for the actor, I want to see more of these comedies again. Well, at least, if they are good again.
Around around Neeson is as equally commit to their role as much as he is. Pamela Anderson is a perfect addition as a romantic lead who is as funny as she is independent. Paul Walter Hauser is an excellent addition as it gives the talented actor his due of everything that he can do. Kevin Durand and Danny Huston equally bring their A-game with the tough grit they are known for. This isn’t just a movie looking to grab cheap laughs. This is a movie where everyone involved is wanting to commit to make the audience forget about all their troubles. You can tell where the on-screen talent strongly believes in this film.
Bring back short comedies again! At 85 minutes, the movie has a steady pace that never overstays its welcome. There is so much to enjoy that didn’t leave me disappointed when the credits rolled. While there is a mid and post-credits scene, you have to stay for the literal credits. It may go down as one of the best of the year, if not, of all time.
The film isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel. It celebrates generations of different humor from past to present that gives something for everyone. While the film starts off quite strong, you can begin to feel how stale the film can become at times. Since it is covering so many years of comedy, the comedy can sometimes come across as outdated as it’s been done before. When the theater is still consistently laughing, there’s still plenty to enjoy. I would even recommend a second watch as there might be things you missed the first time due to how much you’re laughing.
It’s quite hard to critique a spoof. If the film sets itself out for what it is trying to do, which is to make you laugh, then it did it’s job well. While I thoroughly enjoyed the film, aside from how stale the humor can be at times, I think the film could have been more cohesive in certain areas. Sometimes, characters are able to automatically get themselves out of a jam or get to the next place without much of a transition. I am only taking issue with it, because I wanted to see more of that and I think it could have been even more entertaining.
Overall, The Naked Gun is a hilarious delight with performances fully committed to making you laugh. While some jokes don’t land and there could have been more scenes added here and there, it never derails you from what the film is going for. We need more movies like this where we can just turn out brains off, come together, and enjoy comedies like this.
VERDICT: 3.5/5 (Pretty Good)
The Creative Cinematic Collection 
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