The Movie [The Naked Gun]: Can Laughter Be Inherited? The Difficult Challenge of Comedy Films Posed by the Work

Looking back at film history, action heroes and superheroes are passed down through generations.
James Bond has lived on while changing actors many times.
Batman and Superman have also been given new interpretations in every era, captivating audiences each time.
However, there is one major problem with comedy films.
Laughter changes with the times.
And above all, comedy films depend more on the personality of the actor playing the role than on the character.
That was the first thing I felt while watching the 2025 version of "The Naked Gun."

This work is a sequel to the 1988 comedy film masterpiece, "The Naked Gun" series.
Liam Neeson stars in the film.
He plays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Detective Frank Drebin, who was once played by Leslie Nielsen.
Although it is often introduced on the internet as a reboot, it is actually closer to a sequel that inherits the worldview of the old series.
Therefore, there are many small jokes prepared for audiences who know the past works.

On the other hand, it is made so that the story itself can be understood even without prior knowledge, so consideration for new audiences can also be felt.
However, one thing that cannot be avoided when talking about this work is the existence of Leslie Nielsen.
The original trilogy, starting with the 1988 version, certainly had an excellent script.
But the biggest appeal was the character of Frank Drebin.
And it was Leslie Nielsen's acting that made that character work.
His humor was never exaggerated; rather, it was completely serious.
He himself was not joking at all. He was always in earnest.
That is precisely why the ridiculous events happening around him looked many times funnier.
He does not go for laughs at the audience.
He creates laughter by acting seriously.
That was Frank Drebin.

On the other hand, what about Liam Neeson, who stars in this film?
There is no doubt about his ability as an actor.
He played a profound drama in "Schindler's List" and established a new position as an elderly action star in the "Taken" series.
There is no doubt that he is one of the leading actors in Hollywood in recent years.
However, that intense image becomes a shackle in this work.
The audience inevitably associates him with a "strong man" the moment they see him.
Therefore, even when it comes to comical scenes, a sense of discomfort remains somewhere.
Of course, he himself is trying hard at comedy.
In fact, there is ingenuity in his facial expressions and timing.
But he does not reach the unique naturalness that Leslie Nielsen had.
In other words, the feeling of watching "Liam Neeson doing comedy" rather than playing the character of Frank Drebin Jr. did not disappear until the end.

That is likely the biggest reason why the evaluation of this work is divided.
Also, the laughter itself is nostalgic.
Slapstick. Misunderstandings. Visual gags. Dirty jokes.
It is laughter that belongs to the lineage of parody films made in large numbers in Hollywood from the 1980s to the 1990s.
Jokes that would have induced roars of laughter back then often feel like déjà vu in the modern day.

This is not the responsibility of the work, but a change in the era itself.
The speed of consumption of laughter has become overwhelmingly faster due to social media and video streaming services.
Jokes that once caused great laughter in movie theaters are now circulated daily as short videos.
Therefore, it has become difficult to surprise the audience with the same methods.
Even so, it is interesting that this work has received high praise in the United States.
It has recorded a very high score on review sites and has received support from many audiences.
This may be more due to differences in cultural background than the quality of the work.
"The Naked Gun" is a special series for Americans.
It can be said to be an existence close to "The Drifters" or "Hadaka no Taisho" for Japanese people.
There is a possibility that nostalgia for the laughter they were familiar with in their childhood is pushing up the evaluation.

On the other hand, in Japan, it was not released in theaters and became centered on streaming.
Since various factors such as market size and distribution strategy are involved in that decision, it cannot be said unconditionally.
However, considering the recognition of the series in Japan, I can imagine that the hurdle for a theatrical release was high.
What I felt again after watching this work is how difficult it is to produce a sequel to a comedy film.
Action and science fiction can evolve through technological progress.
But laughter changes with the times.
Furthermore, it is greatly influenced by the personality of the lead actor.
That is why there are few successful examples of sequels to classic comedies.

This work is by no means a bad film.
Rather, the production team has made it carefully with respect for the original.
But at the same time, it was also a work that made me realize once again the one-of-a-kind talent that was Leslie Nielsen.
"The Naked Gun" is a revival of the series, and at the same time, it is a film that throws the question "Can laughter be inherited?" to the audience.
The answer to that will be different for everyone.
But at least one thing is certain: the fact that the legendary character Frank Drebin is still loved by many movie fans today.

[2025/USA]
[Genre] Comedy
[Director] Akiva Schaffer
[Cast] Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson,
Paul Walter Hauser, and others
[Running Time] 1 hour 25 minutes
[Recommended Rating (out of 5 stars)] ☆☆