**Review: The Naked Gun (2025) – A Goofball Reboot That Delivers Laughs, But Lacks the Original's Bite**
Director Akiva Schaffer’s The Naked Gun (2025) revives the iconic spoof franchise with Liam Neeson stepping into the oversized shoes of Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s legendary bumbling detective. While the film captures the absurd spirit of the ZAZ (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker) classics, it’s a mixed bag of inspired gags and missed opportunities, earning its place as a fun—if uneven—successor 15.
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The Good: A Worthy Homage with Modern Twists
Liam Neeson’s Deadpan Buffoonery: Neeson’s gravelly gravitas is repurposed for comedy, playing Drebin Jr. as a rogue cop parodying his own Taken persona. His delivery of lines like “I’m sure it’s Carrie who writes!” (when asked about Miranda rights) lands well, though he lacks Nielsen’s innocent charm 19.
Pamela Anderson’s Scene-Stealing Turn: As femme fatale Beth Davenport, Anderson shines with comedic timing, especially in a bizarre snowman ménage à trois sequence and scat-singing bits. Critics praise her as a revelation 56.
Joke Density: The film packs rapid-fire puns (“UCLA?” “I see it every day!”), meta gags (the villain’s “P.L.O.T. Device”), and slapstick (Drebin biting gun barrels). The “chili dog intestinal calamity” scene is a standout 19.
Visual Upgrades: Schaffer’s dynamic cinematography (e.g., swooping fight scenes) modernizes the franchise’s flat TV aesthetic, though some argue it undercuts the original’s minimalist hilarity 9.
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