The Naked Gun

This weekend, The Naked Gun, a legacy sequel to the 1980s comedy classic, releases in theaters. The movie follows Frank Drebin Jr. of Police Squad as he investigates a crime while also trying to prevent the dissolution of Police Squad. I thought the original Naked Gun trilogy was extremely funny, and I thought the trailers for this film were hilarious, so I was very excited to see this movie.

This was probably the funniest movie I have seen this year. Interestingly, there were two legacy sequels, Happy Gilmore 2 and The Naked Gun, that came out within a week of each other. Where Happy Gilmore 2 relied on cameos, callbacks, and flashbacks instead of a bunch of jokes, The Naked Gun goes for the opposite approach, tons of jokes with a little bit of cameos and callbacks sprinkled in, which I thought was far more effective. The sheer volume of jokes in this movie is just so impressive. There are times when you are still laughing from the previous joke that you almost miss the next joke. This movie is exactly my kind of humor with a slapstick/deadpan style. This is very similar in style to Airplane. The comedic writing here is just gold, with so many recurring jokes that are done so well. You know a recurring joke is good when it gets funnier each time it is done. I thought Liam Neeson was the perfect person to take over this franchise. His serious action skills just fit so well with the deadpan humor needed for The Naked Gun. Normally, it is difficult to find someone who can capture the magic of the original film, but Liam Neeson managed it. I also like how The Naked Gun aged with the times, but wasn't any less tame with its humor. The movie is also great as it doesn't rely on referencing the original movie to make jokes or create nostalgia. It makes its own new jokes while still feeling like the style of the original film. I also appreciate how the movie wastes no time. At under 90 minutes, the movie moves at a breakneck speed with constant jokes, never having a lull or slowing down.

This movie isn't trying to be the best movie of the year. It just wants to make people laugh, which it achieves. I've never been the biggest fan of the villains in these films, and this villain is the same way. He just doesn't have the fun or humor that the rest of the movie does. The movie also "borrows" its evil plan from the first Kingsman movie.

Overall, this is a hilarious film that is a perfect example of how to make a legacy comedy sequel. With so many large release gap sequels being terrible, it was nice to see one that delivers a great movie.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+ Recommendation: This is a must-see comedy.