Very funny movie. Review of the film The Naked Gun (2025)

The first part of the series The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, which appeared on the basis of the canceled series Police Squad!, even today is able to cause sincere and loud laughter in the audience. This is despite the fact that humor has changed significantly since 1988, so it seemed that The Naked Gun turned into a kind of relic of its time. However, in 2025, a new, fourth part of the series was released, the creation of which was also led by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted and other comedy projects). And even if we take into account all the unfunny jokes and even entire scenes, we still got one of the funniest modern comedies, capable of causing at least a slight smile in almost everyone.

Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) can solve any case, but in the process he will inevitably destroy something, beat someone up, or at least ruin the day of an innocent person with his almost unbearable character. An unconventional approach to any situation allows Drebin Jr. to always remain the winner. And when a new threat looms over the world, only such an unconventional hero can save everyone.

Did you notice that I didn't say anything specific about the plot of the new part of The Naked Gun? Because you don't need to know that. The plot of the film serves only as a connecting link between dozens of various jokes, gags, jokes and other ways to make the audience laugh. And how skillfully and diversely the team managed to bring it to life deserves a special ovation.

The Naked Gun (2025) is, without any exaggeration, one of the funniest comedies of the last ten years, that's for sure. But we have to be honest here: it's not only because of the quality of the film itself, but also because of the fact that the comedy genre is almost extinct. Jokes, which are not always appropriate, have migrated to comic books and blockbusters, and films like Strays are released so rarely that we can talk about modern comedies as a genre that is noticeably present in the market.

On the other hand, the series The Naked Gun itself was tried to be revived back in 2009. Moreover, in the format of a film that would be released immediately on television, which directly hints at its mediocre quality. However, the salvation for the series was Seth MacFarlane, who was able to set up production and involve Liam Neeson in the filming as the lead actor. Neeson is known for more serious roles, but he gladly took on the image of Drebin Jr. to show himself to people in a positive and funny role.

MacFarlane was the perfect fit for the new Naked Gun, and there's no need to turn up your nose at his Family Guy. While the show may have enough fart and vomit jokes, it's also based on references and absurd humor, which is perfect for the parody genre. After all, The Naked Gun (2025) is still a parody of police procedurals and movies. Crazy, stupid in a good way, and versatile in its attempts to make you laugh.

The latter is especially important, as MacFarlane, Shaffer and the crew seem to be testing what will make a particular viewer laugh. The film's "take a chair - thank you, I have enough chairs at home" jokes border on the image of Neeson's bare buttocks and a graphic description of his penis. Sudden cameos, side-splitting scenes that contradict the main plot, fight scenes full of grotesque violence, and, of course, sudden bathroom breaks - these are just a few of the things the film will try to make you "hee-hee", and maybe even a whole "ha-ha-ha".

There are so many jokes that if you blink at the wrong moment, you might miss something really funny. Of course, with such a high density of humor, some jokes don't resonate while watching. Sometimes you'll have to sit in complete silence for entire scenes, interrupted only by an embarrassed cough. Oddly enough, the worst moments are associated with frankly toilet humor. Yes, the line between jokes about "cleaning a dirty oven" and oral sex with a dog is thin, but still tangible - and the new "Naked Gun" will clearly prove it to you.

Some jokes are simply shocking for their presence in a 2025 feature film, which will also be shown in theaters, not immediately on streaming services. Sexist and racist genres are always bad form, and in the new The Naked Gun they are far from creative. So I am not at all surprised by the fact that some people at the screening rushed to leave the hall long before the end credits. But I would be lying if I said that this kind of humor is definitely not liked by anyone.

However, The Naked Gun (2025) is not just a collection of idiotic and not-so-good jokes. It is also a fairly high-quality recreation of police action movies from the 1980s and 1990s. Even details such as color correction and camera pans send us back to that era. So don't expect too much "modern" humor from the movie, the film is as faithful to the chosen style and time period as possible. On the contrary, the jokes try to be timeless so that both young viewers and mature audiences can laugh. And it mostly works.

Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. is an unexpected treasure that you wouldn’t have thought of. Neeson looks serious, even menacing, in the funniest scenes – and this fact creates a contrast that enhances the impact of the humor on the audience. He is accompanied by Pamela Anderson’s character, and their tandem turned out to be perfect. You can see that all the actors get sincere and boundless pleasure from filming. And Neeson and Anderson even started dating in real life, and this is the first relationship for the actor since 2009, when his wife Natasha Richardson died.

At the same time, Liam Neeson is far from Leslie Nielsen, and the film crew understands this perfectly. The film does not try to parody the original source or parasitize on it, but instead goes its own way in creating a charismatic protagonist. Nielsen's character felt kinder and more carefree, and Neeson's Drebin Jr. sometimes seemed to have come from "real" police action movies. At the same time, Nielsen is given due respect in the new film, and in general, you can feel how much the director, producers and the entire creative team love the Naked Gun series.

Yes, some jokes feel like they're straight out of Family Guy - falling down the stairs in 2025 doesn't seem all that serious - and other moments are more cringe-inducing than laugh-out-loud funny. But that doesn't matter after the fifth good joke, and there's a good chance you'll get it in the first three minutes of the film. Humor is always subjective, but The Naked Gun (2025) has something for almost everyone.

Not funny at all? Well, comedies are probably not for you. But you will definitely be in the minority. And now I really want The Naked Gun (2025) to show producers and directors that people again want to go to the cinema solely for the sake of laughing their hearts out. And so a new era of comedies will be just around the corner, as is happening now with horror films.