Often Copied But Never Equaled? – The Naked Gun (2025) Review

Some movies are so deeply tied to their era, their style of humor, and their leading actor that any attempt at a reboot is inevitably overshadowed by the original. "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" is one of those movies. In 1988, Leslie Nielsen conquered the big screen as the bumbling yet lovable police lieutenant Frank Drebin – delivering one of the most iconic parodies in film history. "The Naked Gun" has since become a cult classic and marked the beginning of a whole wave of spoof movies. Now, 37 years later, Hollywood is attempting a reboot, with Liam Neeson in the lead role. Can the new movie live up to the charm and quality of the original? And does the humor of "The Naked Gun" even work in 2025? We cover all that and more in our KinoCheck film review!

A Mission Full of Ruckus but Lacking Substance

At the center of "The Naked Gun" is Frank Drebin Jr., who carries on his father's legacy and maintains law and order on the streets of Los Angeles. He disguises himself as a schoolgirl to overcome bank robbers, uses lollipops as deadly weapons, and occasionally goes against the orders of his superiors. A series of bank robberies and a murder eventually lead him to tech billionaire Richard Cane, who has sinister plans of his own. And when the mysterious woman Beth enters the picture, Frank's life spirals completely out of control. At its core, that actually sounds like a typical "The Naked Gun" story, doesn't it?

Well. While the old films still worked as clever parodies of crime and police stories, the 2025 version feels alarmingly shallow and lacking in creativity. The parallels to real-life tech billionaires like Elon Musk are so clumsily and boldly drawn that it's almost uncomfortable to watch. Instead of subtle irony, the humor here comes at you with all the finesse of a sledgehammer.

Humor on Autopilot

In fact, one of the movie's biggest problems is its lack of humor. Or rather: its desperate attempt to be as funny as the original. The trailer had already left many fans feeling skeptical, and the finished film sadly confirms those fears. Every scene tries to recapture the spirit of the old movies, but at no point can it match their effortless charm.

Gags like passers-by getting run over by a police car, explosions casually going off in the background, or sudden flashes of nudity may once have been original – but here, they come across like items on a checklist. What's missing are the element of surprise, the timing, and the creativity that defined the original films. Instead, we are left with many scenes that are one-to-one copies – just without the soul.

In the end credits, they even play the intro from the first "The Naked Gun" movie, complete with its iconic music. Unfortunately, this only serves to highlight how much more wit and energy the 37-year-old original material has compared to the previous 85 minutes of the reboot.

The Cast: Hits and Misses

It is common knowledge that Liam Neeson is a great actor with comedic skills: We all remember his performance in "Ted 2". But here, he sometimes comes across as disinterested – or at least lacking in motivation. In many moments, his Frank Drebin Jr. feels more like a caricature of his own action roles. To some extent, it evokes memories of Bryan Mills from the "Taken" series – only in a clumsier version.

It is a completely different story with Pamela Anderson. She is the highlight of the film: self-ironic, charming, and clearly having fun. At times, she even captures the charm of a Priscilla Presley and steals the show from Neeson in their shared scenes.

The villain, played by Danny Huston, is instead a dull satire of a tech guru à la Elon Musk – arrogant and completely unhinged. Paul Walter Hauser, as sidekick Captain Ed Hocken Jr., occasionally livens up the action, but still falls short of expectations. And yes, there are also several cameo appearances – but we don't want to give them away here.

Nostalgia without Soul

What once made "The Naked Gun" so successful was its balanced mix of parody, timing, and absurd humor that never took itself too seriously. The 2025 version, however, tries desperately to reproduce that spirit but remains an empty shell. The movie relies too heavily on well-known names and familiar gags in the hope of satisfying fans. But humor is a product of its time – and the attempt to revive it exactly as before doesn't succeed. There have been better examples in recent years of how to do it right: "Road House", for instance, managed to preserve the spirit of the original while appealing to a new generation of viewers.

Conclusion: Who Is This Film For?

In the end, the lingering question is: Who was this movie actually made for? Longtime fans will likely stick with the original, while younger viewers who can't relate to the '80s humor will find little to connect with here. The result is a half-hearted attempt at nostalgia – too forced, too long, too stiff.

A hearty laugh? Pretty much non-existent. At best, there's a faint chuckle or a nostalgic "Oh, I've seen that before!" feeling. Anyone hoping that "The Naked Gun" (2025) would capture the magic of the original will be disappointed. It stands as yet another reminder that some cult films are better left untouched.

How Could It Have Worked Better?

Maybe they shouldn't have tried to imitate Leslie Nielsen in the first place. Perhaps the concept should have been completely reimagined instead of just rehashed. Imagine this: A Frank Drebin Jr. who gets outsmarted not just by bank robbers, but also by social media influencers. A villain who explains his evil plans via TikTok livestreams. Or even more radical: Drebin Jr. is assisted by an AI version of his father. Instead of recycled jokes, we would get metahumor that pokes fun at today's reboot culture itself. That would have been bold.

But to be fair, humor is, of course, subjective. There will certainly be viewers who enjoy this new version. Unfortunately, we prefer the original trilogy over the reboot.