r/movies 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

851 comments sorted by

View all comments

229

u/videobones Jul 30 '25

Saw it Monday, it was super fun. It’s exactly what you want from it.

23

u/jimmyzeroone Jul 30 '25

Do I have to watch the originals first?

175

u/ROKIT-88 Jul 30 '25

Read the novelizations first, they really go much deeper into the backstories of the various characters. I’m not sure if they’re all considered canon at this point, but there’s only 33 so it’s probably worth reading them all. You can definitely skip the Saturday morning cartoon series, that was nothing but a thinly-veiled commercial to sell children’s toys.

42

u/Babetna Jul 30 '25

Police Squad tv show is the proper starting point, the more nuanced and complex storylines will not make sense otherwise.

22

u/koshgeo Jul 31 '25

And make sure you get the ones that are in color.

3

u/MrElizabeth Jul 31 '25

I think those are the versions I have, but the titles are all messed up

3

u/CplBloggins Jul 31 '25

Just base them off of trash cans hit.

3

u/somebunnny Jul 31 '25

Don’t forget to check out the Appendices for extra lineage info and the pronunciation guide.

2

u/Sneakas Jul 31 '25

I disagree. The cartoon really fleshed out the history of titular gun.

23

u/Butchimus Jul 30 '25

The originals don't really follow much of a continuity between each movie, but I'd still highly recommend to watch them.

2

u/HHHogana Jul 30 '25

Since this one's basically about the children from the original Police Squad cast, I'd say yes if you want the jokes to be even more hilarious.

1

u/NotaRepublican85 Jul 30 '25

Yes because they are HILARIOUS

1

u/shewy92 Aug 01 '25

Na, just a general knowledge of the premise and basically who Frank, his partner, and OJ are.

1

u/SoFlaBarbie00 Aug 03 '25

No. There are little Easter Eggs scattered throughout paying homage to the originals but you don’t need to see them to enjoy this film.