Growing up on the original Naked Gun trilogy and all of Leslie Nielsen’s slapstick/parody comedies from the 90s, I was cautiously optimistic about the modernized reboot starring Liam Neeson. And while it doesn’t reach the comedic heights of the Zucker originals, co-writer/director Akiva Schaffer (The Lonely Island) does an admirable job re-introducing the bonkers energy and absurd bits to a new generation that hasn’t had much to engage with in this genre in a long time.
The first half of the film is strong, delivering an avalanche of gut-busting laughs, steered by the steely serious demeanor of Liam Neeson that solidly captures the essence of Nielsen’s Lt. Frank Drebin. It’s wild and impressive the absurd positions that the 73 year-old Oscar nominee was willing to put himself in. Pamela Anderson shines even more so as the heiress to Priscilla Presley’s exaggerated damsel in distress with her own agenda.
But the second half drags noticeably compared to the first half. The jokes land less often. Lacking is the speed and density of gags; both subtle and obvious. It might sound like a crazy critique after you’ve seen it, but Nielsen Naked Gun fans will know exactly what I’m talking about.
After recently re-watching Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear it was striking how consistent and effective the gags were by comparison. They were unrelenting. The reboot takes a lot more time to wind up the jokes and the resulting punchlines are inconsistent. Schaffer & Co. also rely much more on modern cultural references as the basis for their comedy, and less so on utterly random absurdity, which the originals executed to greater effect.
Overall, The Naked Gun reboot/sequel is very funny and it generously pays homage to the characters and lore of Police Squad. If you’re looking for a movie to actually make you laugh out loud, this is your best bet so far this year. I’m thankful that slapstick parody comedy is making a comeback for new generations, that will hopefully then go revisit these crazy, hilarious, dumb movies that made me laugh so much when I was growing up.
But within this franchise, it still doesn’t measure up to the iconic and timeless Zucker/Nielsen adventures of Lt. Frank Drebin.
