Comedy movies aren’t what they used to be. Gone are the days of original 90 minute funny films putting bums on cinema seats. Modern comedies, often with scripts suffering from political correctness, have largely been relegated to direct-to-streaming and are usually forgotten within a week. Yet Paramount Pictures has taken the gamble of rebooting The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson taking over from Leslie Nielsen. And we’re very happy to report it has massively paid off, with a very welcome return to the kind of absurdist comedy movie that Hollywood just doesn’t really make anymore.
Directed by Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, Neeson is perfect casting as Lt Frank Drebin Jr, the son of Nielsen’s character from the original movie trilogy. Over 30 years since the last film in the cop spoof franchise and the gravely-voiced Northern Irishman takes on the late star’s deadpan timing to a tee. Meanwhile, co-star Pamela Anderson continues her acting renaissance as Beth Davenport, bringing plenty of laughs herself amid effortless on-screen chemistry with the leading man. So much so, in fact, the pair are now reportedly dating, much to the delight of fans.
Just like its predecessors, The Naked Gun doesn’t mess around with its 85 minute runtime, which actually well serves its gag-a-minute structure that goes all the way back to Airplane! The new film’s murder mystery plot lampooning the hard-boiled crime genre is as unashamedly full of slapstick, visual gags, puns and cameos (watch out for Priscilla Presley) as the Nielsen films and regularly had us howling. A hilarious resurrection of the good old-fashioned comedy that’s well worth catching on the big screen.
The Naked Gun hits cinemas on Thursday.