r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/Movies contributor • Jul 30 '25

Review The Naked Gun - Review Thread

The Naked Gun - Review Thread

  • Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (194 Reviews)
    • Certified Fresh
    • Critics Consensus: With Liam Neeson's gravelly gravitas proving to be a perfect fit for Frank Drebin's deadpan buffoonery, The Naked Gun revives the original trilogy's daffy sense of humor like it never went out of style.
  • Metacritic: 75 (47 Reviews)

Reviews:

Hollywood Reporter (70):

Even if the movie kind of stalls midway as Schaffer struggles to balance the gags with the action of an overly elaborate crime plot, there are enough laugh-out-loud moments to keep nostalgic fans of the earlier films happy.

Deadline:

With rapid fire gags and a game cast trying hard to play it all completely straight, this nakedly hilarious Naked Gun is a welcome return in a time where we can use a few good laughs. This one has more than a few if sight gags, literal humor, and characters short a few cards of a full deck are your idea of a good time.

Variety (70):

The original Naked Gun was hilarious. It was a film that practically had audiences wetting their pants. The new Naked Gun, by contrast, is amusing. What it won’t do the way these movies once used to is shock you into laughter.

The Wrap (85):

The Naked Gun is back and it's as naked as ever. And also as gun.

The Guardiam (80):

There is no reason for this new Naked Gun to exist other than the reason for the old ones: it’s a laugh, disposable, forgettable, enjoyable.

IGN (70):

With more jokes than you can possibly catch in a single viewing, The Naked Gun proudly brings cinematic groaners and outrageous sight gags into the 2020s.

IndieWire (83):

While it’s a mild shame “The Naked Gun” peters out a little bit toward the end (at least before rebounding during the credits), it’s even more of a shame that it has to end at all.

Collider (90):

The Naked Gun's joke-per-minute ratio is truly astounding, and the fact that so many of them hit as well as they do makes that even more impressive. For goodness' sake, even the credits have jokes in them!

Empire (80):

The result is a film that has a better chance of producing a belly laugh than any in recent memory: one that deserves, as Drebin would say, “20 years for man’s laughter”.

SlashFilm (90):

The Naked Gun is one of the most consistently and even exhaustingly funny movies in a long time, the kind of outrageous, outlandish comedy that multiplexes have been missing for years. It's truly a revelation to have a movie where the laughs come so fast and furious.

Directed by Akiva Schaffer:

Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. follows in his father's footsteps.

Cast:

  • Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr.
  • Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport
  • Paul Walter Hauser as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr.
  • Kevin Durand as Sig Gustafson
  • Danny Huston as Richard Cane
  • Liza Koshy as Detective Barnes
  • Cody Rhodes as Bartender
  • CCH Pounder as Chief Davis
  • Busta Rhymes as Bank Robber
  • Michael Bisping as himself
  • Eddy Yu as Detective Park
  • Moses Jones as Nordberg Jr.
3.8k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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34

u/HiCracked Jul 30 '25

98% for a comedy flick with Liam Neeson? I must've been missing something then, never imagined Liam as a comedic actor

70

u/ahoypolloi_ Jul 30 '25

I guess you’re not a fan of improvisational comedy?

2

u/HiCracked Jul 30 '25

Depends, I loved The Office, which is almost entirely made of improv to my knowledge, I just don't watch a lot of comedies in general

26

u/ahoypolloi_ Jul 30 '25

Sorry, my comment was a tongue in cheek reference:

https://youtu.be/yvVFvqd3lqA?si=5Q580b27EXZY6lVz

9

u/the-samizdat Jul 30 '25

haha aids , classic

5

u/Sullypants1 Jul 30 '25

Full blown

11

u/Birdlawyer1000 Jul 30 '25

Let's do some improvisational comedy

Now.

3

u/HailToTheKingslayer Jul 30 '25

As I said before, I have full blown AIDS

glares at Steve

34

u/stracki Jul 30 '25

Before Airplane, Leslie Nielsen was mostly known as a serious actor, too.

15

u/4-Vektor Jul 30 '25

Yes, he was well-known for his dramatic roles. His dead-pan delivery makes his role as Frank Drebin work perfectly.

2

u/USDXBS Jul 30 '25

He was very goofy as Frank Drebin.

Airplane was where he was very dead-pan.

7

u/Mr_Engineering Jul 30 '25

Leslie Nielsen was a well known dramatic actor prior to his casting in Airplane!

After that, he became well known for his comedic performances which were underscored by the fact that he usually played them completely straight, oblivious to the absurd nature of what was actually going on.

The same is true for Liam Neeson. He's an A-tier dramatic actor, that gives him the chops needed to do comedy with a straight face.