Of all the strange things that have happened so far in 2025, The Naked Gun getting a distant sequel/almost-reboot (more the former than the latter) that was actually good is not the strangest thing, but it was unexpected. The original three films - particularly the first - were moderately successful critically, but the first came out in 1988, and the third came out in 1994. A new film couldn't really be done in the style of other legacy sequels that have been popular lately, since most of the cast members from that trilogy have passed away, and to distance things further, the writers and director of the newest film are from a different generation, and weren't involved with the making of the first three movies. New cast, new creative team, and... somehow, not a disaster at all? Like, not even a little bad. The new The Naked Gun is honestly quite good, and surprisingly in line with the spirit of the originals.
Maybe that's the most surprising part. The narrative around 2025's The Naked Gun is that it's come out at a time when not many pure comedies get theatrical releases, ending up on a streaming service more often than not, and that most funny movies made on a large scale are action (or other genre) films first, and comedies second. But The Naked Gun doesn't care about whatever the hell business as usual is these days. It stumbled into theaters in true Drebin style, either unable or unwilling to read the room, and nonetheless saving the day, or just doing what was needed by some miracle. Or maybe not a miracle, because Liam Neeson can be great in the right movie, he's backed up by a good supporting cast here, and Akiva Schaffer (of The Lonely Island and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping fame) has been behind some good movies in the past. Anyway, that's all harping on about the newest film a bit too much before getting to it, but yes, that new one is the reason they're all getting ranked here. All these movies offer reliably silly and sometimes witty humor, but the best ones just offer more of it than the others. If you're fond of slapstick comedy, groanworthy puns, and absurdist humor, then they're all worth watching. But if you're pressed for time and can only watch two, or maybe 2½ of them, then read on to know what to prioritize.
4 'Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult' (1994)
Oh, how about that intro, not even mentioning The Naked Gun movies were spun off from Police Squad!, which was one of the funniest - and most underrated - comedy shows ever. There were only six episodes that aired in 1982, and it never really found a wide enough audience to succeed, but it's been vindicated with time, and also by the existence of the three successful movies that Leslie Nielsen also starred in, after playing Lt. Frank Drebin in the series. As the last of the Nielsen ones, Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult is obviously the furthest from the original TV series in terms of release date, but it's also the furthest one figuratively, since it's noticeably less sharp and witty than the original six episodes, and also a step-down from the other two Naked Gun movies that came before it.
The jokes are hit-and-miss, which isn't abnormal for a comedy packed with non-stop gags, but there are more misses than can be found in any of the other Naked Gun movies.
That being said, it's not without its moments, and it shakes things up a little narratively by sort of spoofing prison movies for a bit, since Drebin has to go undercover at one. And his target's played by Fred Ward, who was one of the main inmates in Escape from Alcatraz, and here, he plays someone who wants to carry out a bombing at the Academy Awards. That whole finale is fun, because there is something amusing about seeing Drebin wreak havoc at the Oscars, plus they're a fair target for ridicule. Before then, though, the jokes are hit-and-miss, which isn't abnormal for a comedy packed with non-stop gags, but there are more misses than can be found in any of the other Naked Gun movies. It was probably right to let Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult be the final one for a while, especially since it had some legal issues, and two cast members became noteworthy (to put it one way) figures in the media not long after the film's release: O.J. Simpson (who'd also been in the first two movies), for likely obvious reasons, and Anna Nicole Smith, who married billionaire J. Howard Marshall (more than 60 years her senior at the time), then was wrapped up in legal proceedings concerning his will when he died one year later.
3 'The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear' (1991)
Of all the Naked Gun movies, it's hardest to find things to say about The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, so excuse the brevity in advance. The plot here (admittedly not too important, but still) concerns the energy industry, and some nefarious individuals who want to keep certain technological advancements hidden, since they fear what it'll do to profits. And Frank Drebin ends up being entirely the wrong man for the job, but also the right man for the job. Leslie Nielsen does his thing, some jokes hit while others miss, and the whole thing wraps up - as pretty much always - in a bit under 90 minutes.
It technically does what a sequel should do, and isn't hugely disappointing or anything, but it's noticeably lower in quality than the first movie, released three years earlier. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is more of the same, but just not quite as good. It's got a few more highlights than Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, the overall premise is a little cleverer, and that scene with the gun being continually constructed and added to mid-fight is pretty inspired. It's good, and it's definitely worth watching if you liked the first, but just don't expect anything on quite the same level.
2 'The Naked Gun' (2025)
There have been a fair few less-than-great Liam Neeson movies released in the past decade or so, but thankfully, The Naked Gun (2025) is not one of them. He's not quite Leslie Nielsen, but he's a pretty good substitute, playing the son of Nielsen's character, and doing the same sorts of things Frank Drebin Sr. did. He is not smart, kind of sociopathic, and always out of his element, but still has an uncanny knack for sometimes saving the day, while also making the day worse. The Naked Gun (2025) depicts one of the most hellish non-apocalyptic cinematic worlds to live in. There's a level of extra chaos and destruction here compared to the already cartoonish first three movies, but when it's all played for laughs, none of it's actually that horrifying.
The right tone is struck, in the end, and that's probably the most surprising thing about the newest Naked Gun. It undoubtedly feels like one of those "joke-every-few-seconds" sort of movies that had seemingly gone out of fashion in more recent years, but that style of comedy makes a surprisingly strong return here. Again, it's not the kind of thing where everything lands, but there's enough quality to go with the quantity of jokes, and even if there wasn't, that quantity would still be impressive in its own right. It could well spawn sequels, and maybe even deserves to, but even if it remains a standalone thing, that's okay. It's just cool that it came out when it did and also ended up working as well as it did.
1 'The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!' (1988)
Maybe in 1988, the idea of a parody movie coming from the team behind Airplane being just as good as - or maybe even better than - Airplane probably sounded preposterous, but that's kind of what happened with The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! did. Just as that 1980 film expertly took down disaster movies and the conventions of said genre, so too did The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! aggressively spoof crime/cop movies. Drebin's mission here involves taking down some criminals who want to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II, and that's all you need. Ricardo Montalbán makes for a good villain, sort of playing things straight in the same way Leslie Nielsen did for Airplane. And there is still something deadpan about some moments with Nielsen here, but he does give a more comedic - and at times goofy - performance here.
But he's remarkable. It's probably the best role he ever played, and the best movie he appeared in. The original Naked Gun is so ridiculously quotable, and it might well also be one of the funniest movies of the last half-century or so. It's willing to tackle just about every sort of gag or style of comedy out there, blending them all into one deliriously fun and funny movie. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! gets the hit rate up remarkably high, with so few misses that they barely register, in the end. It's just a top-tier comedic film no matter how you want to slice and/or define it, and while it's predictable to call it the best in the series, it just is. There's not really any disputing that, so who really cares about predictability.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! PG-13 Comedy Crime 9.3/10 Release Date December 2, 1988 Runtime 86 minutes Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY
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