The Naked Gun Review (2025): A Solid Throwback to Dumb, Fun Comedy

Genres – Comedy, Action
Director – Akiva Schaffer
Writers – Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Akiva Schaffer
Cast – Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand
Runtime – 85 Minutes
My Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆☆

Where To Watch/Stream The Naked Gun

Early on I laughed hard, but by the end that spark had somewhat fizzled.

I was expecting The Naked Gun to be a wreck of a film.

But I had a lot of fun with it, for the most part.

Plot Summary of The Naked Gun (2025) (Spoiler‑Free)

Frank Drebin, Jr, son of the Leslie Nielsen character, is now a detective for Police Squad. A flashy crime rocks the city, and Drebin Jr. is assigned to solve it. Along the way there’s romance, office quarrels with his boss Chief Davis, and clashes with two larger‑than‑life villains.

The plot line is pretty much just a scaffold for a barrage of visual and verbal gags, setups and punchlines. There’s no elaborate mystery here, just endless comic setups used to deliver jokes in rapid succession.

Exactly what you would expect.

The Naked Gun Review: Is It Worth Watching?

I’ve seen the original Naked Gun films dozens of times, and I went into this with pretty low expectations, like many people did I think.

I hoped for homage, callbacks, and some silly humor. What I got was somewhat of that blend: a nostalgic kick in the pants early on and then a slower middle act where jokes felt stretched. And while Neeson stepped into the role with sincerity, he’s no Leslie Nielse, and when jokes slip, there’s less of that ideal deadpan recovery.

I did laugh a ton in the first half, though. The jokes came fast and hard, but as the film warmed up, the jokes started to lose a bit of steam, the pacing slowed down, and the humor became more random than sharp. Still, within me was a fan of the originals craving nostalgia and silliness, and for the most part, I did get that..

The supporting cast in the film are a bit of a mixed bag. Pamela Anderson shows up as the love interest, but their chemistry is fairly flat. Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Ed Hocken Jr., should have stood out as he’s a talented actor, but was underwritten, and he fades a bit into the background.

Danny Huston and Kevin Durand play villains, and they start strong but end up overshooting into silliness, and CCH Pounder, playing Chief Davis, delivers some genuine comedic gold too, and I thought she was the best of the supporting cast by far.

I did also love how the film is very much in homage to the original style too – clear, bright, physical comedy driven, and no over‑reliance on CGI or fast cutting. That simplicity helps some jokes land because there are no distracting effects. But, later on some bits go on too long or feel like sketches that didn’t know when to stop.

But the nostalgia and handful of stellar gags did carry me through, and I wasn’t bored. I was amused. I was entertained enough to think, yes, fans of the originals will enjoy this a lot, but the film does falter the longer it goes on.

But a good time was still had, and what could have been totally awful, ended up being more than good enough overall.

What I liked (And What I Didn’t like)

Pros

Electrifying First Act

The opening half hour is genuinely hilarious. Jokes arrive like machine‑gun fire, It reminded me exactly why I fell in love with the originals, pure laugh after laugh with zero breathing space between.

Neeson Brings Surprising Commitment

This is not his usual terrain, he’s great at dramatic or action roles, but he surprised me a lot. It’s not deadpan genius like Nielsen, but he commits hard to it.

Smart Nods For Fans

The script sprinkles in little homages that are not overdone, but just enough. Plus that shot at O.J. Simpson was gold..

CCH Pounder Steals Scenes

Chief Davis is a scene‑stealer. The moment Drebin enters her bedroom unannounced and she deadpans about her sleeping husband is priceless.

Physical, Visual Humor Remains Strong

There’s something timeless about a well‑timed visual gag, and this movie delivers when it leans into that.

Cons

Mid-Film Dip

After a strong start, the middle section kind of drags. Jokes slow down and pacing loses confidence. Some scenes feel stretched, like a comedy version of a TV sketch that runs past the sketch length.

Underused Supporting Players

Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser both have presence but no writing weight. Anderson is there, but there’s no spark. Hauser should have stood out but gets shortchanged with lame lines.

Villains Become Cartoonish Too Early

Huston and Durand begin effectively but quickly morph into over-the-top caricatures rather than cleverly absurd characters. That shift could be funny, but here it feels a bit hollow.

Neeson lacks Nielsen’s recovery magic

When Nielsen delivered a bad joke, his deadpan face carried weight and made it funny anyway. Neeson reacts more, takes things seriously. He does his best, but the contrast is obvious.

Jokes Consistency

The gag backpack seems to run out a bit in the last hour. It’s not that the jokes are all bad, but the uneven quality shows.

Who might like The Naked Gun

• People nostalgic for The Naked Gun films and Police Squad!
• Viewers who enjoy fast pace, silly visual comedy, and back‑to‑back jokes
• Fans of bright, old‑school slapstick humor
• Liam Neeson fans curious to see his comedic side
• Anyone wanting a fun, nostalgia‑filled movie night

Who might dislike The Naked Gun

• Anyone expecting relentless comedy throughout the entire film
• Those who dislike silliness without substance
• People irritated by drawn‑out scenes
• Anyone who prefers modern, polished comedy over old‑school simplicity

Final Verdict: Did I Enjoy Watching The Naked Gun?

I did enjoy watching The Naked Gun, it was much better than I expected it to be, and I laughed often, especially in the opening act. The nostalgia factor just tugged at me the whole time, and a handful of well‑timed jokes gave me exactly what I remember from the originals.

That said, the film loses momentum midway. But for what it is – a solid enough, occasionally brilliant slapstick comedy with heartwarming nods to the past – it delivers, and it has so much charm.

It’s worth the trip to the theater.

7/10

The Naked Gun Trailer

Simon Leasher

A lover of cinema for over 35 years, I have watched many films from around the world in many different genres, yet I still normally always come back to trashy slasher horror films when in doubt. More

And yes, The Godfather 2 is better than The Godfather.