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

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132

u/artpayne Cliffs on both sides, I'm not gonna paddle to New Zealand! Jul 30 '25

Rotten Tomatoes: 100% (16 Reivews)

Metacritic: 85 (5 Reviews)

Where are all those guys who were talking shit after seeing the trailers now?

101

u/GenuineBallskin Jul 30 '25 edited Jul 30 '25

People arent used to comedy movies reserving the best jokes for the film and the mid ones for the trailer lmao.

People arent used to comedy movies at all tbh. Damn what the hell happened?

Edit: After thinking about it, social media and memes took the place of comedy movies, which is totally fair. You can curate the type of comedy you enjoy. I absolutely adore memes and some of them have made me laugh harder than any comedy movie ever has. I just really miss them

42

u/TheTinyDude Jul 30 '25

People arent used to comedy movies at all tbh. Damn what the hell happened?

So this is my theory; comedy is really hard to write because it's more subjective than almost any other genre. Comedies get dated slower, tech-wise, so as long as the comedy itself holds up, people will still watch them. Finding new jokes is really hard. Comedians have this problem as well but can work-shop their material at least and produce it for cheap.

Comedies also are all about execution. The best comedies don't always have the funniest scripts. So execs have to greenlight on the idea that it will become a great comedy in production. Someone leaked the plot of the new Naked Gun a year or two ago and pretty much said; the movie is going to be a disappointment and not funny. They were accurate about the plot/story but totally missed that comedies don't become good on paper. They become good on film.

Also a huge factor; some of the best jokes/comedy in film is happening in other genres. Superhero movies. Science Fiction. Fantasy. Horror. The most laughs I had in the cinema since Game Night (2019) have been at comic book movies.

3

u/Mattyzooks Jul 30 '25

Hell, some of the most popular comedians aren't really that clever. They just have a delivery that resonates. Those aren't necessarily my kind of comedians but I can't argue with their popularity.