The 2025 remake of The Naked Gun is exactly the kind of absurd joyride that your comedy bone would have been craving if you were longing for those good old days when comedies were simply ludicrous—slapstick mayhem, puns in excess, and gags that make you laugh out loud in public places. Comedy on stage is said to be the next victim of streams and sequels being mere lazy cash-in gimmicks. Akiva Schaffer, however, has brought to us a humorous and outstanding reboot that takes its origin from the source but doesn’t follow the same path.
With his background of working with The Lonely Island and cult favorites like Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Schaffer did not play on nostalgia alone. From the start, he insisted on a complete overhaul, forgoing recycled jokes or the old standby opening credits. The aim was obvious: create a movie that felt like a true continuation of the series, with new comedic beats, new characters, and its rhythm—yet still paying homage to the original franchise.
The casting choices are genius. Liam Neeson, better known for darker roles in films like Schindler’s List and Taken, takes on Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s iconic bumbling detective. It’s a risky move that is rewarded handsomely—Neeson’s droll, deadpan delivery makes the film even sillier. Pamela Anderson stars alongside as a smirking femme fatale, spoofing Priscilla Presley’s original with extra comic bite. Together, their chemistry is silly, playful, and just right for the movie’s frenetic energy.
The jokes come fast and furious. Co-writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand help Schaffer pack nearly every scene with visual gags, wordplay. There are coffee cups that magically appear, a freezer labeled “COLD CASES,” a car chase involving bees and a fruit cart, and Neeson thwarting a villain by eating his gun. Anderson even receives a moment of scat singing that’s both funny and gratuitously over-the-top. Each gag pays off because the film believes in its audience’s ability to enjoy the mayhem.
But the reboot is not a constant gag reel. Schaffer cuts the silliness with brilliance, interpolating references to pop culture, Hollywood reboots, and spy thrillers. He even references O.J. Simpson’s Nordberg in one witty joke before advancing—self-aware without being about bad news.
What sets this reboot apart is its balance of respect and revision. It doesn’t play just to the old fans—it’s a love letter to everyone who wishes for a time when comedies could be as big, as brash, and as well-done for laughs. In a world where most comedy movies are also phone-scrolling background chatter, this Naked Gun is a reminder to everyone of what it feels like to laugh in a theater.
And the numbers prove it. With a 91% Rotten Tomatoes ranking and more than $42 million in its first two weeks, it’s obvious audiences are starving for this type of cinematic foolishness.
Whether you came of age on the exploits of Leslie Nielsen or simply appreciate a fabulously stupid joke, the 2025 The Naked Gun demonstrates that smart people can make ridiculous humor sound new, entertaining, and—above all—funny. Sometimes paying tribute to the past is about making the world laugh again.
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