To many,The Naked Guntrilogy is untouchable. It’s a perfectly wrapped example of an era of comedy still beloved to this day, and to try and fashion a modern-day example would likely leave any budding creator with egg on their face.Leslie Nielsen’s iconic Frank Drebin is one of comedy’s best characters, and there is surely no one who can fill those shoes. Step forward the ever-brilliantLiam Neeson, one of the most underrated funny men in cinema, in addition to being a talented actor in his own right. Add that to the talents of directorAkiva Schaffer, producerSeth MacFarlane, and more, and it seems the improbable has been achieved.
From over 70 reviews so far, the 2025The Naked Gunhas earned ahuge, near-perfect 93% on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes. This incredible early score confirms what many people had suspected after the release of the movie’s hilarious trailer, that this is one of the year’s best comedies. Incredibly, this 93% is higher than any score achieved by the original trilogy, with the highest critics' rating of the originals hailing from the opener, which holds an 88% score. Of course, the 2025 installment’s score is subject to change, but, for now at least, L.A. detective Frank Drebin Jr. is doing his father proud.
‘The Naked Gun’ Is “One of the Funniest Movies of the Decade”
Perhaps, at a time when the world is so overwhelmingly terrifying and comedy so often looks to politically and socially charged satire, all we truly needed was simple, pure comedy. For Collider,Aidan Kelleyreviewed the movie andawarded it a huge 9/10, citingrapid-fire jokes, Neeson and the rest of the ensemble’s “powerhouse comedic performances,” and well-directed action sequences as just three positive factors. “In the constant barrage of legacy sequels and franchise reboots,” Kelley wrote, “the new Naked Gun is everything you could possibly want from a so-called ‘requel.'” He later concluded:
“If this is the start of a new rebooted franchise’s legacy, it’d be difficult to complain. After all, as a great silver-haired and lovable LAPD buffoon once said, “It’s a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don’t amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!” Maybe that quote doesn’t make sense in this context, butthat level of benign confusion mixed with unapologetic entertainment is exactly what makes theNaked Gunreboot so great.”
The Naked Gunarrives in theaters on August 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
The Naked Gun
