The Naked Gun 2025 Review

In a year packed with sequels, remakes and reboots, Naked Gun (2025) stands out as one of the boldest and funniest comedy releases of the year. It is nice to see a film that understands exactly what it wants to be and leans into the absurd with total confidence. It is also genuinely refreshing to watch Liam Neeson drop the seriousness for once and dive into a role where the only thing that matters is the punchline.

This reboot sees Neeson play Detective Frank Drebin Junior, the son of the legendary Frank Drebin made famous by Leslie Nielsen. His mission is to investigate the mysterious murder of Beth Davenport’s brother. Beth, played by Pamela Anderson, is a bestselling crime novelist with a glamorous persona and a mysterious past. What follows is a nonsensical joyride through collapsing disguises, explosive mix-ups and a barrage of jokes that fly so fast you are almost guaranteed to miss a few while laughing at the last. The tone is completely aligned with the classic Naked Gun films. It is dad jokes, punny one-liners, silly misunderstandings, and visual gags that feel straight out of an old-school cartoon. And that is exactly why it works. It does not try to be clever or meta. It just wants to be funny. And it is. Really funny.

One of the strongest things about this reboot is that it never tries to outdo the original. It pays homage to the spirit of the original films without trying to imitate them shot for shot. It updates just enough for modern audiences without losing the sense of innocence and irreverence that made the original so great. The jokes are updated for today but still delightfully immature in that classic way.

Liam Neeson is the real magic trick here. His delivery is so committed that you almost forget you are watching someone who is more often seen taking down international crime syndicates. He plays Drebin Junior with a perfectly straight face and the contrast between his intense energy and the ridiculous things happening around him is what makes his performance so effective. Pamela Anderson also brings a surprising amount of charm and comedic timing to the role of Beth. She is glamorous, sharp, and seems to be in on the joke the entire time. Her scenes with Neeson are among the funniest in the film, not because the chemistry is romantic, but because the comedy bounces off the contrast in their delivery styles. Anderson’s return to mainstream film feels like a well-deserved and welcome surprise.

There are also great performances from the supporting cast. Paul Walter Hauser as the overly enthusiastic sidekick, and CCH Pounder as the ever-serious police chief, both add to the chaos in just the right way. Danny Huston and Kevin Durand play the villains, each dialling the absurdity up to eleven in a way that fits perfectly into this world of exaggerated crime and ridiculous law enforcement.

The comedy in this film lands because it is not afraid to be completely ridiculous. There is one moment that stands out as a perfect example. During a chaotic chase through a mall, Drebin tries to stop a criminal by disguising himself as a giant ice cream cone for a store opening event. He then crashes into a children’s dance recital and is mistaken for the special guest. It is pure chaos, and the audience I saw it with was howling.

The film also includes quieter moments of comedy that build over time. The running gag of Drebin thinking he is in a serious noir thriller while everyone around him is either oblivious or two steps ahead is used to great effect. It is a reminder that sometimes what makes something funny is not the cleverness of the joke but the commitment to the bit. The production design is intentionally flat and over-staged in the best possible way. It looks like a television crime drama turned inside out. Every set has just enough gloss to make it feel slightly off, adding to the comedic atmosphere. The soundtrack plays it completely straight, another perfect contrast to the lunacy on screen.

The film is not without its weak points. A few scenes feel like they go on too long, and some jokes miss the mark completely. There are moments where the writers seem to rely a bit too heavily on references and recycled gags from the earlier films. But even when the jokes do not quite land, they never take away from the overall fun of the experience. One of the best quotes that stuck with me comes from Drebin in a moment of pure nonsense. As he stands over a pile of fallen mannequins he mistakenly believes are victims, he says with total sincerity, there are crimes and then there are crimes against fashion. It is stupid. It is ridiculous. And I laughed harder than I have in a cinema in months.

More than anything, Naked Gun reminded me why comedies like this are still needed. Not everything needs to be clever or self-aware. Sometimes, we just need a film that exists to make people laugh, and this one does exactly that. From beginning to end, it is packed with silly moments, outlandish situations and an underlying charm that makes you forgive its occasional flaws. I have always believed that good comedy has to commit. And this film absolutely commits. Whether it is Neeson throwing himself across a food court in a police scooter, or Anderson delivering a serious monologue about the true crime novel she is writing while a man in the background falls down an escalator for two minutes straight, this movie embraces the nonsense with both hands. It may not be a perfect film, and it certainly will not win awards for innovation or storytelling, but it succeeds where it matters most. It makes you laugh. It gives you that familiar feeling of being in a cinema with other people who are all laughing with you. That is rare these days, and it is something worth celebrating.

Naked Gun (2025) is a genuinely funny, fast-paced and heartfelt return to a style of comedy that has not been seen in cinemas for years. Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson are a surprisingly brilliant pair, the jokes come thick and fast, and the film never forgets what it is meant to be. It is silly, ridiculous, and unashamedly fun. They do not make movies like this anymore, and I am really hoping this convinces studios to bring them back. I am glad films like this still exist. That’s why I give this film a 7.5/10.