The Naked Gun (2025) is a reboot of the classic 1980s/90s screwball comedy franchise of the same name. Sergeant Frank Drebin, Jr. (Liam Neeson) is a detective lieutenant in the Police Squad, a special division of the LAPD. He has followed in his father’s footsteps—Frank is the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the original films. Frank is a widower who has thrown himself completely into his job since his wife passed. Sometimes he may seem a bit clueless, just saying whatever is on his mind, but somehow things always seem to work out for him. He believes that his father is watching over him, guiding him in he duties. As the film opens, Frank disobeys orders, rushing in undercover as a schoolgirl to stop a bank robbery in progress. The man responsible for the robbery is Sig Gustafson (Kevin Durand), who manages to escape out of the back of the bank with a stolen P.L.O.T. Device, which he hands off to his boss, tech billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston).

With a P.R. nightmare to deal with, Chief Davis (CCH Pounder) pulls Frank off the case, reassigning him and his partner, Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), to investigate wat seems like a routine car adducent. Frank believes the driver killed in the accident may have committed suicide, but the man’s sister, Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), thinks otherwise, and insists on finding the truth herself. However, it soon appears as though Beth may be right, and that the bank robbery and the accident are actually connected, with Beth’s brother being an employee of Crane’s company. As Frank investigates Crane, someone keeps trying to frame him for other crimes, to prevent him from unlocking the truth. Meanwhile, a romance starts to develop between the quirky Beth and Frank.

The original Naked Gun films were written/directed by David Zucker (Airplane!) who has a signature style of comedy. While Zucker did not have any involvement with this movie, which was helmed by SNL vet Akiva Schaffer (and produced by Seth MacFarlane), but the film captures Zucker’s same style of absurd, screwball, slapstick comedy loaded with witty one-liners. The tone is nearly identical to the original movies. One scene early on finds Frank Drebin, Jr. kneeling at a shrine to his father, stating, “Hi, Daddy. I’s me, Frank, Jr. I want to be just like you, but… at the same time, be completely different and original.” And that pretty much sums it up. One problem with modern times is that it’s really difficult to make a comedy as everyone seems so easily offended these days. However, The Naked Gun never felt watered-down to me, and in fact it addresses the O.J. Simpson-sized elephant in the room early on in a hilarious way.

Liam Neeson is wonderful in this role, and really feels like he could be the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character. He has this perfect deadpan delivery for the humor. While Liam Neeason is known for more dramatic and action roles, here he proves that his particular set of skills also includes comedy! Part of what makes this film so funny is that the characters are often very serious, saying ridiculous things. What really helps with this is the casting of dramatic actors, such as bringing in Danny Huston and Kevin Durand for the villains. Even Paul Walter Hauser, who’s usually known for playing the wacky, over-the-top character, is much more of the straight character in this film. Pamela Anderson, who is now in a successful relaunch of her career following her more dramatic turn in The Last Showgirl, also proves she has the comedy chops, and is open to doing anything—even breaking into a hilarious scat performance. The chemistry between Neeson and Anderson is wonderful, and they are really able to sell the budding romance between these two wacky characters. There is one particularly funny throwback montage about Frank and Beth falling in love, and involving a snowman, that takes a dark and hilarious turn.

There is so much happening in every scene of The Naked Gun, with rapid-fire dialogue and sight gags often happening in the background, that the film easily lends itself to repeat viewings. I first saw the film in the theater, and it was one of my favorite films of the summer. I enjoyed it just as much this second time around on Blu-ray.

Paramount has released The Naked Gun on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD & Digital. We were sent the Blu-ray release for review, and even in HD, the presentation looks and sounds excellent. The picture looks clean and detailed, and the Dolby Atmos audio track provides clear dialogue and an immersive viewing experience, especially with things happening in the background during many scenes.

The Blu-ray disc is packed in a standard HD keepcase along with a glossy cardboard slipcover and an insert with instructions on how to redeem an HD digital copy of the movie (Note, if you choose to redeem via Apple, it will redeem in 4K!). The disc also contains over 30 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/filmmakers, and nearly 30 minutes of outtakes and deleted/alternate/extended scenes. There are also a couple of mock ads available only on the digital copy.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:25:13)

Blu-ray:

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English (USA) Dolby Atmos, English Audio Description, Czech 5.1 Dolby Digital, German 51. Dolby Digital, Spanish (Spain) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, French (Canadian) 5.1 Dolby Digital, Italian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Hungarian 5.1 Dolby Digital, Polish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, German, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin America), French, French (Canadian), Italian, Japanese, Korean, Hungarian, Mandarin, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Slovak, Finnish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish

Digital:

• Digital Copy redeemable via Apple TV (4K) or Fandango at Home (HD). This is not Movies Anywhere compatible.
• Code subject to expiration, may not be valid after 11/11/2027

Extras :

• A Legacy of Laughter (8:57)
  The cast and crew talk about what made the original movies so great, rebooting the franchise, recreating the same tone, paying homage to the original, while also making the new film feel original. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Akiva Schaffer, producers Seth MacFarlane & Erica Huggins, and stars Pamela Anderson (“Beth Davenport”), Liam Neeson (“Frank Drebin Jr.”), Danny Huston (“Richard Cane”), Paul Walter Hauser (“Ed Hocken Jr.”), Kevin Durand (“Sig Gustafson”) & Cody Rhodes (“Bartender”).
• Son of a (Naked) Gun (5:59)
  The cast and crew talk about how the reboot came about, casting and working with Liam Neeson, the comedy, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with producers Seth MacFarlane & Erica Huggins, director/co-writer/executive producer Akiva Schaffer, stunt coordinator/second unit director Mark Vanselow, and stars Liam Neeson, Danny Huston, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand & Cody Rhodes.
• The Funny Femme Fatale (4:32)
  The cast and crew talk about casting and working with Pamela Anderson, her chemistry with Liam, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Akiva Schaffer, producers Seth MacFarlane & Erica Huggins, and stars Pamela Anderson, Liam Neeson & Danny Huston.
• The Really Unusual Suspects (4:22)
  The cast and crew talk about casting dramatic actors to play the straight comedic roles. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Akiva Schaffer, and stars Danny Huston, Kevin Durand & Paul Walter Hauser.
• On Set of a Set Within a Set that’s in a Set (3:42)
  The cast and crew discuss the Mission: Impossible style hospital scene, the use of practical effects, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes & pre-vis footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Akiva Schaffer, production designer Bill Brzeski, and stars Kevin Durand & Paul Walter Hauser.
• Dropping the Balls (3:26)
  The cast and crew talk about shooting in the arena for the film’s finale New Year’s Eve Ball Drop sequence. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-writer/executive producer Akiva Schaffer, stunt coordinator/second unit director Mark Vanselow, production designer Bill Brzeski, and stars Michael Bisping (“Himself”), Jon Anik (“Himself”), Wilbur T. Fitzgerald (“Dan Daly”) & Danny Huston.
• Outtakes (12:28)
  Play All, or select from:
  • Outtakes Montage (8:28)
    Laugh along with the cast as they deliver alternate lines, make each other crack, and have fun on set.
  • WWFC Outtakes (4:00)
    Alternate takes from the WWFC match and commentary.
• Deleted, Alternate, and Extended Scenes (16:32)
  Collection of extended and alternate takes. Play All, or select from:
  • Bank Fight #1 (Extended) (:27)
  • Bank Fight #2 (Extended) (:27)
  • Noir Opening (Alternate) (:35)
  • Last Year’s Incident Joke (Alternate) (:46)
  • Cane’s Boardroom (Deleted) (:42)
  • Beth Scat (Extended) (2:50)
  • Frank Sees Wolf (Deleted) (1:03)
  • TiVo (Alternate) (1:25)
  • Facade Moment (Extended) (:57)
  • Frank and Ed See Balls (Deleted) (:29)
  • Skybox (Deleted) (1:01)
  • Beth Weapons (Extended) (1:14)
  • Frank Rant in Octagon (Deleted) (1:20)
  • Frank and Cane Under Arena (Extended) (1:29)
  • Frank and Ed Under Arena (Deleted) (:28)
  • Revenge Kill Speech (Extended) (1:12)
• Mock Ads (:46)
  Two short fake ads created for the film. Only Available on the digital copy. Play All, or select from:
  • Gorilla Nut (:25)
    Ad for Gorilla Nut enhanced drink supplement for men.
  • Muscle Slime (:21)
    Get ripped with Muscle Slime!

Final Thoughts:

The Naked Gun is a hilarious and entertaining new reboot of the classic Naked Gun franchise that is able to recapture the same spirit and tone of the original. Liam Neeson is comedy gold, and delivers so many hilarious one-liners with perfect deadpan delivery. The rest of the cast is also filled with so many other great actors, including Pamela Anderson, who is in the middle of a career renaissance. The film is highly rewatchable, a must own for any fan of the original franchise, and highly recommended for anyone looking for a hilarious and ridiculous screwball comedy. Paramount’s Blu-ray release features a solid presentation, and is loaded with entertaining bonus material. For those on the fence before a blind buy, the film is currently streaming on Paramount+ and MGM+.