Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "new-movie-review"
The Naked Gun (2025) – Spoiler-Filled Review
In 1994, I had the exciting experience of seeing Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult at the dollar theater in Redding, California. This was a significant rite of passage for me; it was the first movie I had ever seen by myself. In fact, I quite literally saw it by myself since I was the only person in the theater.
Prior to this, the first two Naked Gun films and the Police Squad! TV series held a special place in my comedy heart, along with Airplane!, the Hot Shots! movies, and the many Mel Brooks spoofs that had been released up to that point. I had grown up with this style of humor, and am still a die-hard fan of it today.
When I initially heard that they were making a fourth Naked Gun movie, I was extremely skeptical. I honestly couldn’t see how you could make a movie in this series without Leslie Nielsen, a man who carved a lucrative comedy career playing straight-laced characters who were on their own special level of incompetence. What was even more baffling was the casting choice for Frank Drebin, Jr.: Liam Neeson.
One of the obvious issues is the age disparity between Frank Drebin, Jr.’s age and Neeson’s. Given that Frank and Jane had their son at the end of the 1994 film, it stands to reason that he would be 31. Neeson is 73. For some context, Leslie Nielsen was only 68 when Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult was released. Given one of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos in the film, it’s clear this movie doesn’t take place in the future.
Again, this isn’t an ageist screed against Liam Neeson. I’m merely pointing out my initial thoughts upon hearing him cast in the role.
And he does a damn fine job playing this style of comedy.
Liam Neeson embraces the role of Frank Drebin, Jr., and provides the deadpan incompetence required for this type of character. While he may not be Leslie Nielsen, he does honor his style and his character in his performance while making the character his own.
Within the Naked Gun universe, there are always levels of stupidity that are dialed up and down as the story unfolds. In the previous trilogy, the villains were always the smartest characters, followed by whatever authority figure was tasked with dealing with Police Squad, followed by Jane, then Captain Ed Hocken, then Frank, and finally, Nordberg, the dumbest of the dumb.
In this movie, most of the characters are on the same level of stupidity, which causes some frustration since you need those differences to add conflict, keep the story humming along, and give the main character a chance to evolve as the story unfolds. And you definitely want the villain to feel like they are not only smarter than Frank, but that they are a real threat.
This comedy style and the Naked Gun franchise are fairly sacred to those who grew up with those comedy films, and I totally understand the hesitancy to want to support or even watch The Naked Gun. But the filmmakers did a pretty decent job capturing the essence of the Naked Gun world, even if there are plenty of missed opportunities, several jokes that fall flat, and even some gags that go on for one cycle too many.
However, there are more hits than misses, and there are some inspired one-liners and sight gags that will make you laugh out loud if you keep your eyes glued to the screen. It’s clear that there was a strong attempt to honor the legacy of the franchise, but also take things in a new direction to avoid being handcuffed by the past. For the most part, they succeeded in making it work by keeping fans of the old engaged while bringing in new viewers.
One of my main gripes is the absence of the classic police car bubble light driving through absurd locations at the start of the film. It was sorely missed, and even though they do pay homage to it at the end of the movie with footage from the original trilogy, it would have been nice to see an updated version. I could imagine the car driving through a supermarket during the early days of COVID, or through a random protest march, or through Comic-Con. Again, another missed opportunity.
The film score is excellent. Lorne Balfe does a fantastic job updating elements of Ira Newborn’s original score, while adding an epic feel to other moments in the film. It’s definitely a highlight for me.
Another highlight, along with Neeson, is the cast, which includes a hilarious Pamela Anderson, who plays the femme fatale role with gusto and has some of the funniest one-liners in the movie. Paul Walter Hauser plays Captain Ed Hocken’s son, Ed Hocken, Jr. He and Frank are partners in this film, and they have solid chemistry throughout. CCH Pounder, a staple in police procedurals, does a great job as Police Squad’s Chief Davis. Our villain, the megalomanic tech billionaire, Richard Crane, is played with gusto by Danny Huston.
Speaking of the villain, let’s talk about his evil plan. Spoiler Alert: If you’ve seen Kingsman: The Secret Service, you already know his plan since it’s the same plan Valentine has in that film. As Crane unveiled his plot, I found myself thinking I had heard it before. As he continued speaking, I was struck by the fact that no one working on the film, including Paramount executives, had noticed the striking similarities between Crane’s plan and Valentine’s.
The plan? In The Naked Gun, tech billionaire Richard Crane has a device (literally called the P.L.O.T. Device) that, when it emits a signal, causes those impacted to lash out violently against those around them. Meanwhile, the wealthy, elites, and celebrities will be out of harm’s way, hidden in bunkers carved into the mountains.
In Kingsman: The Secret Service? Tech billionaire Valentine has a phone SIM card that, when it emits a signal, causes those impacted to lash out violently against those around them. Meanwhile, the wealthy, elites, and celebrities will be out of harm’s way, hidden in bunkers carved into the mountains.
I would have understood if The Naked Gun had spoofed Kingsman in some capacity, but the movie doesn’t fall into the lazy trope of spoofing other movies to get through the story. But this was such a glaringly obvious copy-and-paste situation that I’m amazed I haven’t seen others comment on it.
Despite this oddly specific villain motivation, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the movie.
I was also happy that the humor wasn’t topical, political, or dated. There was a Cosby-related joke, but other than that, the jokes don’t take you out of the film and toss you back into the real world. It’s a nice 85-minute comedy escape with enough going on to hold your attention and keep you waiting for the next gag.
Overall, I give The Naked Gun a B. Everyone involved had some huge comedy shoes to fill, and they did a solid job making it work. If they do a sequel, I’m sure it will be even stronger, and hopefully they won’t lift the villain’s plot again from another movie.
What did you think of The Naked Gun? Leave a comment and let me know!
Prior to this, the first two Naked Gun films and the Police Squad! TV series held a special place in my comedy heart, along with Airplane!, the Hot Shots! movies, and the many Mel Brooks spoofs that had been released up to that point. I had grown up with this style of humor, and am still a die-hard fan of it today.
When I initially heard that they were making a fourth Naked Gun movie, I was extremely skeptical. I honestly couldn’t see how you could make a movie in this series without Leslie Nielsen, a man who carved a lucrative comedy career playing straight-laced characters who were on their own special level of incompetence. What was even more baffling was the casting choice for Frank Drebin, Jr.: Liam Neeson.
One of the obvious issues is the age disparity between Frank Drebin, Jr.’s age and Neeson’s. Given that Frank and Jane had their son at the end of the 1994 film, it stands to reason that he would be 31. Neeson is 73. For some context, Leslie Nielsen was only 68 when Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult was released. Given one of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos in the film, it’s clear this movie doesn’t take place in the future.
Again, this isn’t an ageist screed against Liam Neeson. I’m merely pointing out my initial thoughts upon hearing him cast in the role.
And he does a damn fine job playing this style of comedy.
Liam Neeson embraces the role of Frank Drebin, Jr., and provides the deadpan incompetence required for this type of character. While he may not be Leslie Nielsen, he does honor his style and his character in his performance while making the character his own.
Within the Naked Gun universe, there are always levels of stupidity that are dialed up and down as the story unfolds. In the previous trilogy, the villains were always the smartest characters, followed by whatever authority figure was tasked with dealing with Police Squad, followed by Jane, then Captain Ed Hocken, then Frank, and finally, Nordberg, the dumbest of the dumb.
In this movie, most of the characters are on the same level of stupidity, which causes some frustration since you need those differences to add conflict, keep the story humming along, and give the main character a chance to evolve as the story unfolds. And you definitely want the villain to feel like they are not only smarter than Frank, but that they are a real threat.
This comedy style and the Naked Gun franchise are fairly sacred to those who grew up with those comedy films, and I totally understand the hesitancy to want to support or even watch The Naked Gun. But the filmmakers did a pretty decent job capturing the essence of the Naked Gun world, even if there are plenty of missed opportunities, several jokes that fall flat, and even some gags that go on for one cycle too many.
However, there are more hits than misses, and there are some inspired one-liners and sight gags that will make you laugh out loud if you keep your eyes glued to the screen. It’s clear that there was a strong attempt to honor the legacy of the franchise, but also take things in a new direction to avoid being handcuffed by the past. For the most part, they succeeded in making it work by keeping fans of the old engaged while bringing in new viewers.
One of my main gripes is the absence of the classic police car bubble light driving through absurd locations at the start of the film. It was sorely missed, and even though they do pay homage to it at the end of the movie with footage from the original trilogy, it would have been nice to see an updated version. I could imagine the car driving through a supermarket during the early days of COVID, or through a random protest march, or through Comic-Con. Again, another missed opportunity.
The film score is excellent. Lorne Balfe does a fantastic job updating elements of Ira Newborn’s original score, while adding an epic feel to other moments in the film. It’s definitely a highlight for me.
Another highlight, along with Neeson, is the cast, which includes a hilarious Pamela Anderson, who plays the femme fatale role with gusto and has some of the funniest one-liners in the movie. Paul Walter Hauser plays Captain Ed Hocken’s son, Ed Hocken, Jr. He and Frank are partners in this film, and they have solid chemistry throughout. CCH Pounder, a staple in police procedurals, does a great job as Police Squad’s Chief Davis. Our villain, the megalomanic tech billionaire, Richard Crane, is played with gusto by Danny Huston.
Speaking of the villain, let’s talk about his evil plan. Spoiler Alert: If you’ve seen Kingsman: The Secret Service, you already know his plan since it’s the same plan Valentine has in that film. As Crane unveiled his plot, I found myself thinking I had heard it before. As he continued speaking, I was struck by the fact that no one working on the film, including Paramount executives, had noticed the striking similarities between Crane’s plan and Valentine’s.
The plan? In The Naked Gun, tech billionaire Richard Crane has a device (literally called the P.L.O.T. Device) that, when it emits a signal, causes those impacted to lash out violently against those around them. Meanwhile, the wealthy, elites, and celebrities will be out of harm’s way, hidden in bunkers carved into the mountains.
In Kingsman: The Secret Service? Tech billionaire Valentine has a phone SIM card that, when it emits a signal, causes those impacted to lash out violently against those around them. Meanwhile, the wealthy, elites, and celebrities will be out of harm’s way, hidden in bunkers carved into the mountains.
I would have understood if The Naked Gun had spoofed Kingsman in some capacity, but the movie doesn’t fall into the lazy trope of spoofing other movies to get through the story. But this was such a glaringly obvious copy-and-paste situation that I’m amazed I haven’t seen others comment on it.
Despite this oddly specific villain motivation, it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the movie.
I was also happy that the humor wasn’t topical, political, or dated. There was a Cosby-related joke, but other than that, the jokes don’t take you out of the film and toss you back into the real world. It’s a nice 85-minute comedy escape with enough going on to hold your attention and keep you waiting for the next gag.
Overall, I give The Naked Gun a B. Everyone involved had some huge comedy shoes to fill, and they did a solid job making it work. If they do a sequel, I’m sure it will be even stronger, and hopefully they won’t lift the villain’s plot again from another movie.
What did you think of The Naked Gun? Leave a comment and let me know!
