The Naked Gun (2025) is a fast-moving, gag-heavy comedy, and several critics praised its joke density and Liam Neeson’s deadpan performance. Calling it “one of the funniest movies of the decade,” however, is a critical opinion—not an objective ranking or a settled consensus. The reboot often lands its absurdist jokes, but early reviews also raised concerns about its plot, pacing, and comparison with Leslie Nielsen’s original.
Is the new Naked Gun actually funny?
For viewers who enjoy rapid-fire visual gags, wordplay, and jokes delivered with complete seriousness, the answer is likely yes. The film’s central comic device is the contrast between the ridiculous situations around Frank Drebin Jr. and Neeson’s familiar, imposing action-star presence.
![Naked Gun Trilogy Collection [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51kTro3z-5L._SL160_.jpg)
![The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! / The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cp+gojdJL._SL160_.jpg)
In his review for The Atlantic, David Sims argued that Neeson’s tough-guy screen persona needs little adjustment to work as comedy. Collider critic Aidan Kelley, quoted in Rotten Tomatoes’ July 31, 2025 first-reviews roundup, praised the film’s striking joke-per-minute ratio and the number of jokes that land. That is a critic’s description, not a measured statistic.
The humor’s hit rate is a matter of taste. A steady stream of sight gags can feel exuberant to one viewer and exhausting to another; the early response was enthusiastic overall, but not unanimous about the film’s pacing or story. Paramount later echoed the “one of the funniest movies of the decade” line in its own promotional announcement, attributing it to Collider. Treat that superlative as an attributed endorsement, not proof of a decade-wide consensus.
#1 Best Overall
What is the 2025 film, and how does it connect to the original?
Directed by Akiva Schaffer, The Naked Gun stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., following in the footsteps of his father, the character played by Leslie Nielsen in the earlier films. Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston are also in the cast. Paramount lists an August 1, 2025 premiere and a 90-minute runtime in its film catalog.
It is most useful to describe the film as a franchise reboot with a legacy connection: it introduces a new Drebin while building on the earlier character and series. Paramount’s synopsis identifies him as Drebin Jr. and says he follows his father’s path; the label “reboot” or “sequel” depends on how a viewer weighs that inheritance against the new story.
Rank #2
![The Naked Gun: 4 Film Collection + Police Squad Complete Series (5 Discs) [Region Free] [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/514OpBngLQL._SL160_.jpg)
- Blu-ray Disc – Region Free playback (compatible with US Blu-ray players)
- Official Australian manufactured release
- Includes Police Squad! (1982) complete television series
- Includes The Naked Gun trilogy and 2025 Naked Gun feature film
- Starring Leslie Nielsen and Liam Neeson
The plot provides a framework for the comedy rather than the main attraction. The Atlantic describes an investigation involving dead bodies, an evil billionaire, and a budding romance. The film’s momentum comes more from comic set pieces than from an intricate mystery.
Does it live up to Leslie Nielsen’s original?
That depends on what a viewer values in the original films. Neeson brings a different screen presence from Nielsen: his widely recognized action-hero seriousness becomes a fresh source of deadpan contrast. Sims found that casting effective, while also judging the new film enjoyable rather than as transcendent as its predecessors.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Other early reviews were less convinced by the comparison. Owen Gleiberman of Variety, quoted in Rotten Tomatoes’ roundup, called the original hilarious and the new film “amusing.” The same roundup records praise for the reboot’s gag density and spoof-comedy energy alongside objections to its plot or pacing, particularly in the third act. These are individual critical reactions, not a universal verdict.
A practical comparison is to ask whether the reboot’s jokes and performances work for you on their own terms, rather than expecting a replica of Nielsen’s Drebin. It honors the franchise’s absurdist approach but has a different lead and its own material; whether that feels like a worthy continuation is a matter of taste.
Rank #4
Who made it, and what is its rating?
Akiva Schaffer directed and co-wrote the film with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins produced it, according to Paramount’s press announcement. Paramount rates it PG-13 for crude and sexual material, violence and bloody images, and brief partial nudity.
That rating and content description give families a starting point, not a guarantee that the comedy will suit every child. Parents deciding whether to watch with younger viewers may want to consider the listed material and the film’s irreverent, sometimes crude tone.
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Where can you watch The Naked Gun at home?
Paramount announced that the film would arrive on Paramount+ on September 30, 2025, in the United States and Canada. That was a dated announcement, not confirmation of its current catalog status or availability in other countries. Check the live Paramount+ catalog in your region before subscribing or planning a watch.
Paramount also reported that viewership of the three earlier Naked Gun films on Paramount+ rose by a combined 84% during the first month of the reboot’s theatrical window. This is the platform’s own reported figure for those earlier films and that period; it does not measure audience approval of the 2025 reboot.
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