It’s been a 31-year wait, but the latest addition to The Naked Gun franchise is finally here. Full critics’ reviews for the film drop on Wednesday, but fans of the classic spoof comedy franchise can breathe a huge sigh of relief, as the early social media reaction from Monday’s New York premiere and press screenings is extremely effusive.
The new iteration of The Naked Gun, stars Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Police Squad legend Frank Drebin, played in the franchise’s previous projects by the late Leslie Nielsen. Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Runnels and CCH Pounder round out the cast.
The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer directs the reboot and Seth MacFarlane produces a project that Paramount has had in the works for decades. The film franchise is based on the 1982 ABC television series Police Squad!, a spoof on police procedural dramas that introduced Nielsen as Drebin and was co-created and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker. Though the TV show was short-lived, the creative team reunited for the first feature in the franchise, 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Two more sequels were released: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear in 1991 and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult in 1994.
The Naked Gun will be released in theaters worldwide on Aug. 1. Before the film’s release, and full critics’ reviews, read on for a sampling of early reaction from Monday’s premiere and press screenings.
there are like six different scenes in The Naked Gun that made me laugh so hard I cried. even the title card is funny. I wrote “SO DUMB (complimentary)” in my notebook several times.
Akiva Schaffer’s THE NAKED GUN is a freakin’ miracle – a contemporary comedy that’s tightly scripted (under 90 minutes!), hilariously funny, and has a simple, meaningful message about the state of the world. And it ends with one of its best laughs – stay for the credits! pic.twitter.com/qFD1jCcNMR
— Dancin’ Dan in Summerland (@dancindanonfilm) July 28, 2025
THE NAKED GUN (2025): might have laughed harder during this than any movie this year. Really clever and very self-aware, and captures the original’s charm well. Also, one of Liam Neeson’s best performances in so long. Loved Pamela Anderson here too. What a blast. #TheNakedGunpic.twitter.com/GfgnFZ1tRK
The #NakedGun is an outrageously hilarious, balls to the wall laugh-fest that perfectly captures what made us fall in love with this franchise. Neeson and Anderson are pure comedy gold. I really missed movies this funny and unapologetically silly. Leslie Nielsen would be proud. pic.twitter.com/kBpHeGdLDE
Big “they just don’t make these like this anymore” vibes from THE NAKED GUN (2025). Funny as hell I think I ruptured a spine or a ribcage or a cheekbone because of how hard I was laughing throughout it. Kiv just took me to gag city and I wanna go back! pic.twitter.com/qcwm60CqE5
The Naked Gun is hilarious. Having just watched the original three, it would have been easy for this one to feel like a pale imitation. Instead, it feels like a Naked Gun movie, in all its dumb glory. I laughed so hard. More comedies on the big screen!@NakedGunMovie#NakedGunpic.twitter.com/xpDc6XgYy7
THE NAKED GUN becomes competitive for funniest movie of the year within about 10 minutes and it doesn’t really run out of gas. Probably better in a lot of ways than the Zucker sequels? And I say that as someone who has seen them like 10x each.
#TheNakedGun exists at the intersection of silly and smart, reinventing Liam Neeson as a comedic icon for a new generation of filmgoers to laugh out loud with until it hurts. Theatrically released comedy is back! pic.twitter.com/yEo64UKPkL
The Naked Gun was hilarious… been a long time since I’ve been at a press screening where film critics are laughing so hard. Maybe Shaun of the Dead was the last time? I not only recommend you see it but I BEG you to see it cause I definitely want more of this!
Akiva Schaffer’s The Naked Gun is a breath of fresh air in modern comedy. Genuinely hilarious, blissfully brief, and a pitch-perfect homage to Leslie Nielsen’s ’80s comedy classic without feeling like a tired cover band. Never playing it safe, it follows the golden rule: be funny… pic.twitter.com/5So6vGshni
THE NAKED GUN is outrageous and hilarious, reminding us of the movies we just don’t see nowadays. It’s ridiculous and over-the-top in every way, with some truly shocking moments that’ll have you crying with laughter. Liam Neeson brilliantly-embodies Leslie Nielsen as well! pic.twitter.com/UvvC19yXRO
#NakedGun is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in ages. Akiva Schaffer delivers a worthy successor to the Leslie Nielsen classics that also stands well on its own. They really don’t make comedies like this anymore. The crowd’s energy was infectious — see this in theatres! pic.twitter.com/pGtZI9tA65
THE NAKED GUN is the hardest I’ve laughed during a film in a really long time. This is full of delightfully silly, scorching gags that retain a 90’s energy and incorporate modern critiques. So much fun. pic.twitter.com/aquhICPLX9
THE NAKED GUN might be the most joke-per-minute movie we’ve had in decades. Dumb, goofy, HYSTERICAL. Also there’s a BUFFY joke in there that was made just for me
#NakedGun works because it understands how much fun it is to laugh out loud in a packed movie theatre. And it’s funny! It’s very much in the spirit of the originals, following the same multiple gags a minute formula. Liam Neeson is wonderfully deadpan, Pamela Anderson steals it. pic.twitter.com/Lfc0YLuBPQ
— John Corrado – The Joy of Movies (@TheJoyOfMovies) July 29, 2025
The Naked Gun was hysterical. A very funny legacy sequel! It perfectly captured the silliness of the original and made it its own. Liam Neeson would totally make Leslie Nielsen proud 😂🤣 and I loved that Pamela Anderson was just game for all of it.#TheNakedGun#NakedGunpic.twitter.com/9iNnB2JswR
