The Naked Gun is Refreshed but Not Original

On Saturday night, I took in a screening of The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson at the Kendall Square Cinema.

It is, of course, a continuation of the 1980 & 1990s movie franchise starring the late Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley albeit without the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker seal of approval. Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker first brought Frank Drebin to life in the all too short-lived TV series Police Squad which also starred Nielsen with whom they struck comedy gold in Airplane!

Neeson was going to have some larger shoes to fill even if he probably had bigger feet than Nielsen. The deadpan serious style of comedy which Nielsen perfected has appealed and resonated across generations. In an early scene in the film there is Neeson as Frank Drebin, Jr. kneeling before a picture of his deceased fictional father says, "Hi, Dad. It's me, Frank Jr. I just want to be like you, but refreshed and original. So, if you hear me, give me a sign. Make me see an owl, or... something."

The 2025 edition of The Naked Gun is refreshed, but not particularly original perhaps with the exception of the owl. Who knew? For his part David Zucker does not have kind words for the film stating, "It's not a fresh idea." But original or not, the refreshed version of The Naked Gun offers plenty of laughs. What perhaps distinguishes the new Naked Gun from the original is that it is more of an action-oriented movie in keeping with Neeson's recent action film roles most notably in the Taken movie franchise from the 2000s and 2010s. Does it measure up to the original series? No, but there is a good time to be had just the same.

Neeson does an admirable job of playing it straight saying and doing absurd things. As with all Naked Gun movies, there are the sight gags and a Weird Al Yankovic cameo. Yet the best thing about the new Naked Gun film is Pamela Anderson. She is a worthy successor to Priscilla Presley and is even more deadpan in her humor than Neeson - except when she is scat singing. Neeson and Anderson have an undeniable chemistry - one which has led an unlikely romance. It will be interesting to see if sequels will follow. Given that Neeson and Anderson in particular are both enjoying third chapters of their lives it would seem fitting, if not downright refreshing.