MOVIE
Naked Gun (2025)
Director Akiva Schaffer
Review Ray Chan
In many ways, the manic movies of David
Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry
Zucker were products of their time.
Side-splitting offerings like Kentucky Fried Movie, Top
Secret, and the Flying High and Naked Gun series offered a fresh take on
parody, and were guaranteed crowd-pullers.
Mixing straight-faced performances with sight gags and
ditzy double entendres, the productions managed to reach out to a wide-ranging
section of the community because of the cultural ubiquity of the genres they
mocked.
Now fast forward more than 30 years to current times, in
a woke environment when comedic restrictions are far less loose. Modern
filmmakers trying to recreate that formula of in-your-face ridiculousness face
a tougher task because the art of farce has evolved, audiences are more
fragmented, and boundaries are tighter.
But if anybody could manage to capture that lightning in a bottle again, you’d be
hard-pressed to think of anyone more suitable than Family Guy creator
Seth MacFarlane, whose successes with Ted and A Million Ways to Die in the West briefly hoisted him as the saviour of big screen comedy.
However, it took so long to put the puzzle pieces
together that MacFarlane himself stepped back to merely produce, with new
director Akiva Schaffer brought in to create this brave follow-up to the
adventures of the klutzy Frank Drebin (who Leslie Nielsen portrayed with deadpan dash) … or in this case, Frank’s son Frank Jr,
played by Liam Neeson.
Indeed, this familial nod-of-the-hat is used as a running
gag in the movie … with the sons of former Naked Gun members Ed Hocking (played
by Paul Walter Hauser, hot off Fantastic Four) and Nordberg also working in
Drebins’ squad.
The original genre certainly worked a treat, because most
of the jokes and pratfalls came thick, fast, and in pretty much every form
available, from subtle to silly.
I’m pleased to report that The Naked Gun (2025)
captures that essence well, and it’s a tribute to the writers — Schaffer, Dan
Gregor and Doug Mand — that they so successfully captured the formula.
The opening sequence is smart and well worthy of the
introductions to the previous Naked Gun episodes, but it’s a pity that some of
the impact has been lost because the punchline has been revealed in one of the
film’s promotional trailers.
Nevertheless, it’s a valiant attempt at reviving that
comedic sweet spot. Neeson captures the essence of Nielsen perfectly,
delivering absurd lines with absolute sincerity.
Some jokes work better than others, but if you sit back
with no misconceptions of whether the movie will fit with modern expectations, you’ll
find this gets the laughs it goes for - and this gun shoots for a damn lot.
Perhaps the best performer in the ensemble, somewhat
surprisingly, is Pamela Anderson, looking absolutely stunning for her 58 years.
Stealing the show with razor-sharp timing, her portrayal of Beth Davenport is a memorable high point,
reemphasising her status not only as a veritable icon, but as a skilled comedic
performer with a modern flair.
There is also a clear chemistry between her and Neeson,
an affection that has seemingly progressed both on and off the screen.
The credits are a tribute to the Police Squad TV series
that spawned the whole Zucker-Abrahams line of motion picture madness, embedded
with the odd quips and wisecracks for those hardy enough to go through every
word. And the payoff right at the end features a character who would certainly
not feel out of place in any sequel to this particular film.
Naked Gun (2025) is proof that old-school, cheesy humour
still works. You’ll certainly go home in a happier mood than if you watched any
of the modern milk-soppish comedies trying too hard to be clever with their in-jokes
and pretentious narratives.
