The Naked Gun (2025): A Reboot Attempt That Sadly Falls Flat (Blu-ray)

The Film:

There was understandably a fair amount of apprehension when it was announced that there was going to be a reboot of the classic comedy "The Naked Gun," a film that is still highly-revered to this day and which was executed so brilliantly thanks to its amusing gags & the remarkable talents of the legendary Leslie Nielsen. That sense of concern was only elevated when it was additionally announced that Liam Neeson, known most recently for the action films he's made over the last couple of decades, would take over the lead role, a casting that seemed pretty far off from the get-go.

What came out of it was a film that divided critics and audiences, with the former giving it moderately good reviews and the latter having a more mixed opinion, culminating with a somewhat underwhelming take at the box office that had the film struggling just to break even. Now that the film is getting its physical release, it's time to see who was closer to the mark. Will all the apprehension turn out to be justified, or will it miraculously turn out better than originally thought?

The film follows Lt. Frank Drebin (Liam Neeson) of Police Squad, who manages to foil a bank robbery single-handedly, a robbery that turns out to be a distraction to steal a gadget called the "P.L.O.T. Device" from a safe deposit box. With his over-the-top style causing problems, Frank gets reassigned by his boss, Chief Davis (CCH Pounder), to investigate a car crash that resulted in the death of software engineer Simon Davenport, a death that was ruled a suicide. However, Simon's sister, Beth (Pamela Anderson), believes otherwise, leading her to start investigating.

Meanwhile, Frank meets with Richard Cane (Danny Huston), Simon's employer, who, as we soon find out, plans to use the P.L.O.T. Device to revert humans to their savage nature, thus cleansing the planet for his billionaire buddies, who will be protected in an underground bunker. Will Frank & Beth be able to connect all the pieces of the case and stop this terrible calamity from occurring?

A reboot of "The Naked Gun" is another one of those projects that was always going to be an incredibly hard sell simply because the original trilogy of films are held in such high regard by so many people, so trying to replicate them in any fashion over 30 years later certainly presented director Akiva Schaffer and his co-writers Dan Gregor & Doug Mand with quite the Herculean task, one that any filmmaker would have to be at least a little crazy to try and take on.

From the very start, it's clear that they want to try and use very similar jokes & gags that made the original films stand out, but it also becomes rather clear early on that they're not quite getting it right. A lot of it has to do with the attempted humor simply not being funny, with just about every one-liner, visual gag, etc. falling flat. Much of it also has to do with star Liam Neeson not being particularly up to the task of pulling this off. He tries to execute the humor with the same deadpan expressions & mannerisms that the great Leslie Nielsen used so brilliantly, but the latter's comedic genius isn't something that can be so easily reproduced, so when Neeson's shortcomings as a comedian combine with the aforementioned weak comedic material in the screenplay, it hardly becomes a surprise that the film just doesn't work very well.

That said, it really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise in the first place because, as mentioned, this style of humor, both on the page and in its lead, isn't something that can be replicated by just anyone. The original films were written by remarkably talented writers, and again, it's impossible to over-emphasize what Nielsen brought to them. Sure, lots of the gags were incredibly stupid, but it was his incredible talent that made it work so very well. When it comes to the attempted reboot, the spark just wasn't there in either of its most important elements, ultimately leaving us with an unfortunate failed attempt to revive the classic franchise, as well as one of those intriguing instances where the audience was a little closer to the mark than the critics.

Video/Audio:

"The Naked Gun" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality, featuring a picture that's sharp & clear throughout the film's entire 85-minute duration. Likewise, the Dolby Atmos audio track is fantastic, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Paramount has done a great job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

A Legacy of Laughter (9 Minutes)

Son of a (Naked) Gun (6 Minutes)

The Funny Femme Fatale (5 Minutes)

The Really Unusual Suspects (4 Minutes)

On Set of a Set within a Set That's in a Set (4 Minutes)

Dropping the Balls (3 Minutes)

Outtakes (12 Minutes)

Deleted, Alternate, and Extended Scenes (16 Sequences, 17 Minutes)

The film comes with an excellent selection of extras, totaling about an hour, which includes a generous portion of deleted scenes and featurettes that explore the cast, the characters, and the making of the film. Definitely plenty of intriguing material here for fans looking to go deeper.

Conclusion:

While any attempt to reboot the classic "The Naked Gun" franchise could be seen as rather bold, unfortunately director Akiva Schaffer and his team just didn't have what it takes to pull off such a Herculean task, with their effort falling flat both on the page and the screen with its unfunny material and in star Liam Neeson, who isn't quite up to the task of filling in for the great Leslie Nielsen, ultimately making for an unfortunate failed attempt that just doesn't work.

Score: 2.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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