Cinema from the Spectrum

It’s no secret that big-budget theatrical comedies have become increasingly rare in the 2020s and rarer still are spoof comedies. Once a powerhouse subgenre defined by Mel Brooks, Monty Python, and the legendary ZAZ trio (Airplane!, The Naked Gun), spoofs fell into decline in the 2010s after a string of critically reviled but briefly profitable releases from Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. That run hit rock bottom with 2013’s The Starving Games, widely seen as spoof comedy’s final breath.

So when it was announced in 2022 that Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy, American Dad! and Ted) was producing a new Naked Gun reboot, with Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping director Akiva Schaffer attached and Liam Neeson cast as Frank Drebin Jr., I had two reactions: cautious optimism and complete, unashamed excitement. As someone who grew up watching ZAZ-style comedies on repeat, I am the exact target audience for this film.

And here’s the great news: it works. Better than expected, actually.

Schaffer and his writing team, Doug Mand and Dan Gregor, clearly understand the assignment. This is a spoof that embraces the genre’s DNA: the rapid-fire jokes, absurdist sight gags, surreal setups, and actors delivering idiocy with absolute sincerity. It’s a return to form that feels both modern and timeless.

Casting Liam Neeson as Drebin Jr. was a masterstroke. Like Leslie Nielsen before him, Neeson began his career in serious dramas (Schindler’s List, Michael Collins) before becoming an unlikely action star in Taken and its many successors. His stoic delivery makes even the most ridiculous lines land harder, and yes, there’s a subtle joke in casting someone whose name is just a few letters off Nielsen. His performance is a reminder that comedy works best when the actors don’t seem to know they’re in one.

Joining him is Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, the film’s romantic lead, filling a role similar to Priscilla Presley’s in the original trilogy. Anderson, fresh off a career resurgence (The Last Showgirl, Pamela: A Love Story), is a revelation here. She has sharp comedic instincts, incredible timing, and believe it or not a hilarious talent for scat singing (you’ll see). She’s more than nostalgia; she steals scenes outright.

The supporting cast is equally strong. Paul Walter Hauser plays Ed Hocken Jr., son of George Kennedy’s character, with just the right amount of chaotic cluelessness. Danny Huston makes for a perfectly slimy Elon Musk-style villain named Richard Cane, while the always-excellent CCH Pounder grounds the chaos as a stern authority figure, something she’s mastered over decades of work.

The film’s biggest triumph is that it doesn’t just reference modern culture, it actually lampoons it. This is where the Friedberg/Seltzer spoofs fell apart: simply pointing at something from pop culture isn’t funny. This Naked Gun parodies ideas, not just objects or logos. There’s a dead-on spoof of John Wick, a clever inversion of The Dark Knight, and a brilliant sequence riffing on Mission: Impossible – Fallout that had me laughing for a full minute.

Of course, not every joke lands. But, how could it, with this many packed in per minute? The hit rate is high, and some moments (including one gloriously absurd kitchen scene involving a dog) had me wheezing with laughter. It reminded me of Austin Powers at its best, where a single visual setup spirals into delightful chaos.

What’s especially refreshing is how the film threads some modern commentary without being preachy or smug. It touches on tech overreach, the evolution of law enforcement, and masculinity, but does so through the absurd lens that spoof comedy is meant to offer. There’s even some gentle ribbing of fragile male egos. But it’s never mean-spirited or one-note. It’s satire that punches in all directions, not down.

As someone in their 30s, I caught a lot of the references, from Sex and the City to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but the film smartly avoids being generationally narrow. Younger audiences may miss a few things, but there’s plenty for everyone, and the physical comedy and visual gags are timeless.

If you’ve been craving a comedy that feels like it was made by people who like comedy, not just people trying to cash in on it, and The Naked Gun reboot is a much-needed breath of fresh air. It’s absurd, earnest, and self-aware without ever winking too hard.

It’s not just a reboot, it’s a real-deal resurrection.

Watch the trailer right here.

All images via Paramount Pictures.

Directed by Akiva Schaffer
Screenplay by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Akiva Schaffer, from the television show Police Squad! created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker
Produced by Seth MacFarlane, Erica Huggins
Starring Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Danny Huston, Kevin Durand, CCH Pounder
Premiere Date: August 1, 2025
Running Time: 85 minutes