The Naked Gun (2025)
Director: Akiva Schaffer
Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser
Genre: Clotheless weaponry
The 2025 version of The Naked Gun is quite amusing. It caused me occasional chuckles and plenty of smiling. But I just don’t understand why it is a thing.
2025 isn’t as funny or as pioneering a comedy as the original versions – The Naked Gun (1988), The Naked Gun 2½ (1991) and The Naked Gun 33⅓ (1994). And none of them are as funny as Flying High! (1980) written, produced and directed by and starring the same people. Neither are Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson as funny or comic pioneering as Leslie Nielson and Priscilla Presley. Or are the actors’ name comparisons one of the jokes? Full credit if it is.
Perhaps this also explains the title. 2025 is not a remake of the original versions but in effect the fourth episode with Liam Neeson playing Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielson) Jr. So why isn’t it called The Naked Gun 444¼?
I’m probably overanalysing this. From a pure individual movie perspective, it is a funny film worth seeing, especially if you haven’t seen the original films. Although, if that’s the case, you’ll probably miss out on a lot of the references to the originals.
Then again, you may as well just watch the originals at home on a streaming service. Or see all 4. And the next one assuming the 2025 sequel is on its way – which should be called The Naked Gun 5555⅕.
Rating 3½ editions
