Why ‘The Naked Gun’ is the funniest movie of the year | Review
“The Naked Gun” comes at you full force and, shockingly, never loses steam. The film references some of my favorite modern spy movies and doesn’t rely on as many OG “Naked Gun” references as you would expect.
I didn’t know what to expect from “The Naked Gun.” On one hand, its trailers were the first time I’d seen an audience laugh out loud at since before COVID. But on the other hand, it seemed like a remake that felt unwarranted and a property that would’ve been sent directly to streaming because the distributing company didn’t have faith in it. Having now seen the film, I can see why Paramount had enough faith to give this film a theatrical release it rightfully deserves.
Props to Seth McFarlane. In 2012, Liam Neeson was a serious dramatic-actor-turned- action-star, which McFarlane used to his advantage, giving Neeson a cameo role in “Ted.” In that small cameo, it’s evident Neeson showed enough that McFarlane continued to included to include him in his other projects that ultimately led to Neeson taking the “Naked Gun” mantle and teed him up to knock it out of the park.
I honestly couldn’t think of anyone else who could’ve played Frank Drebin Jr. better. With an intense seriousness and commitment to every single line, Liam Neeson is just so good.
The story isn’t groundbreaking in “The Naked Gun,” but it does include some heavy references to a few of my favorite spy movies. There were multiple times that I caught onto the reference a little too early and realized I was the only one laughing in the theater. If you know me, and my love for a specific spy-action franchise, you’ll know which specific reference it was.
To that, I was worried this film would get bogged down either from the constant jokes or the callbacks of the OG “The Naked Gun,” and it thankfully never does.
“The Naked Gun” is surprisingly good and I would recommend it to anyone. Whether you’re a fan of the originals or someone who has been begging for a good comedy to get a theatrical release, this film delivers.
SCORE: “The Naked Gun,” 3.5/5
“The Naked Gun” is rated PG-13 and is in theaters Aug. 1! Just stay through the credits and read them, that’s all I’ll say.
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