We’ve become so accustomed to the influx of reboots, remakes and revivals that we don’t realise how wonderful it can be when a truly great one emerges, since the majority are nothing more than cheap attempts to bank on nostalgia to maximise profits. There have been a few attempts to revive The Naked Gun, especially when it became clear that spoof films were going to earn an audience regardless of quality – but the efforts to revisit the world of Lt. Frank Drebin and his equally incompetent peers in the Police Squad seemed to fail even before they began, a sign that perhaps the original trilogy (which was as close to perfection as one can get with this genre) was best left alone entirely. Needless to say, it eventually did come to fruition in the form of the recent remake, which started in the hands of Seth MacFarlane, who eventually passed it over to Akiva Schaffer, who has been behind some very strong comedies in the past, and who seemed to be a good option to bring this story to life. It follows the son of Drebin, who has inherited his father’s deadpan approach to his vocation, as well as his outright inability to be even vaguely good at his job, which leads him right into the heart of a sinister conspiracy theory in which a wealthy technology tycoon plans to bring about the apocalypse. Armed with his usual cup of coffee and the help of a mysterious femme fatale, Drebin does his best to not only save his fledgling department, but the entire world. A hilarious, outrageous comedy that is as inventive with its humour as it is deeply engaging in a way that we have not seen in quite some time, The Naked Gun is one of the funniest films of the year, and all the proof we need that comedy is far from going extinct, which has been a talking point for far too many reactionaries who view the supposed decline in earnest, traditional comedy to be a signal of something far more sinister – all of which this film proves wholeheartedly untrue, relishing in its wonderful stupidity in the process.

Some casting choices are so deranged and offbeat that they can only be viewed with genuine respect, since they’re the very definition of wild swings, and it’s even more encouraging when they prove to be successful when all is said and done. The idea of casting Liam Neeson as the son of the character played by Leslie Nielsen was ingenious for several reasons – not only does it seem objectively hilarious that they’d go for an actor whose only relationship to his predescessor was having a slightly similar name, but it gives Neeson the chance to set aside the overly-serious, dour characters and allows him to embrace his inherent knack for comedy, which has not been showcased much in recent years. He’s extremely funny when given the opportunity, and while this film may not be as insightful as it could be in terms of capturing his gifts as a comedic performer, it still provides him with the chance to showcase his skills as a movie star, which is all that was required from him. Neeson is a riot, but as is often the case (and which he will likely attest to himself), a performance like this is only possible when an actor is working with people who bring out the best in him, which is exactly the case here, since he’s supported by a fantastic cast that includes Pamela Anderson, delivering yet another stellar performance that very effectively proves her recent comeback is far from a fluke, as well as scene-stealers like Danny Huston and C.C.H. Pounder (two of the most reliable character actors in the business), and a range of outrageous cameos that help tie the film together, giving it a very unique tone and allowing it be as hilariously odd as it intended to be at the outset, being a massive success in every way in terms of the people enlisted to bring these characters to the new generation.

Beyond the exceptional performances that are the main reason the film works, The Naked Gun puts in the effort to be as close to the original work as it could possibly be, which is a clear sign of its ingenuity and willingness to take on these challenges without needing to reinvent the genre. It is quite close to the original trilogy in terms of both the tone and execution. For the former, the same deadpan, intentionally serious tone is established – the reason spoof films have fallen as a genre is primarily because those who decide to make them genuinely seem to believe that it’s more appropriate to just create a frenzy of humour, where everyone is playing to the rafters. The key here is that neither the actors nor the people behind the scenes have to give away the fact that they’re in on the joke, since this only makes it funnier and more irreverent. In terms of the execution, The Naked Gun adheres to another principle of the parody genre, in that the only way to make such a film effective is to focus on creating a story that is as good as the films that it is parodying, if not better. This is a very funny film, but it’s still a strong crime thriller that has just as much excitement and establishes stakes equally as high as the more serious entries into the genre, which is precisely why it becomes so incredibly effective. Finally, as much inspiration as it takes from the original trilogy (and it takes quite a bit – a radical change from the original idea, which was to entirely divorce it from the films that inspired it), it doesn’t rest on its laurels, and works hard to forge its path, being as much a fourth entry into this series as it is an independent work all on its own. It captures the spirit of the original while still finding ways to be unique, which is something that many people who peddle in these reboots, remakes and revivals could take into account.

Ultimately, there isn’t all that much that can be said about The Naked Gun other than acknowledging that it is a fantastic vehicle for its stars and that it captures the spirit of the original films in a way that is honestly quite astonishing. This is solely because we’ve seemingly lost the art of the spoof – far too many films aim for the low-hanging fruit and don’t put in the effort, which has led to parodies becoming nothing more than shorthand for lowbrow, meaningless comedies in which no work is put to elevate the material beyond the bare minimum. This is not the case here, since everyone involved is in agreement that they had a responsibility to be wholeheartedly entertaining. There are a couple of moments where it does seem to want to touch on much deeper themes, but it resists the temptation to become overwrought or being too on-the-nose with its themes (except those moments where it is intentionally heightened for comedic effect) – which only tends to serve the film better, giving it a more unique approach to its material, while still being familiar enough for us to know exactly what to expect from these ideas. Its simplicity is ultimately the reason the film is so effective, with every decision made being well-defined and logical – or rather, being so gleefully illogical that it becomes almost daunting to imagine how someone could be deranged enough to include some of these ideas. It’s a wonderfully strange film, and like other very effective spoofs, it navigates that narrow boundary between authenticity and surrealism very well, understanding one can only be truly effective in the presence of the other – and ultimately, it works exceptionally well in the film’s favour, since it proves to be far more complex than anyone could have possibly imagined.

While it may not have the same spark as the original films (particularly the first, a masterpiece of the genre), this version of The Naked Gun presents us with the best possible outcome, which is quite simply to be an outrageously funny film that is not afraid to push a few boundaries, but which is also not impelled to be more complex or layered than it needed to be, secure in the knowledge that its humour and unique perspective was more than enough to hold our attention. Anchored by a fantastic performance from the never-better Neeson and Anderson, and crafted with care and affection to both the original works and this new vision, it’s an exceptionally funny and charming film, and while it is admittedly quite deranged and sometimes even outright dumb, it’s all intentional. It also runs at a mere 85 minutes, the exact running time of the original films, which proves that every aspect, right down to the smallest detail, is purposeful and has some meaning or thought behind it, which makes an enormous difference. There isn’t a genuine way to measure how funny a comedy is, but if there were some barometer along the lines of determining the number of jokes per minute, I’d fully expect The Naked Gun to score quite high, since there is rarely a moment or even a frame where there isn’t something hilarious or irreverent occurring on screen, which is a credit to both the foundation established by the  Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker team in those earlier films, and Schaffer’s efforts to breathe new life into an old franchise, but one that still feels as fresh and exciting as it did back then