THE NAKED GUN. Honors the legacy of ZAZ & Leslie Nielsen

After the conclusion of the Naked Gun trilogy, Leslie Nielsen continued to make use of his vis comica and appeared in further parodies kept in the same style. Among them there were better films (Wrongfully Accused), as well as worse ones (2001: A Space Travesty), but it seemed that Frank Drebin’s adventures had come to an end and that another installment in the series would never be made. The creators did approach the subject a few times – at first, a fourth part was planned as a television production. Later, after Nielsen’s death in 2010, Ed Helms was supposed to take over the lead role as Frank Drebin Jr. However, these attempts ended in vague plans. Afterwards, David Zucker and Pat Proft even wrote a script for “part four,” but nothing came of that either. Along the way, there was also an unremarkable video game (The Naked Gun: ICUP), yet only when Seth MacFarlane took over the project did a light appear at the end of the tunnel and a real chance for the film to be made. Even so, it was hard to hope that it would turn into a good comedy. After all, parody seemed to be a practically dead genre, after the middling Scary Movie films and the fecal-vomit “jokes” of film-like products such as Date Movie. Seth MacFarlane, however, didn’t care about criticism and ignored the voices of skeptics. Known for his crude humor in his flagship production Family Guy, he simply carried out his vision consistently.

From the very beginning, it was clear that the plot, following the model of its predecessors, would be nothing more than a pretext. And indeed – the main thread, namely the schemes of a billionaire modeled on Elon Musk, dreaming of a new world, doesn’t contain a shred of freshness; it’s a cliché pulled from the most bombastic installments of James Bond’s adventures (though in this case perhaps closer to Austin Powers). And that’s good! Thanks to this, the creators focused on cramming as many jokes, gags, and absurd dialogues into the frame as possible. Because – and I write this with real pleasure – we finally have a parody that is so stupid it’s funny. What’s more important, the new Naked Gun is spiritually faithful to its predecessors. Not only does it not bring them shame, but it also honorably continues the legacy of ZAZ and Leslie Nielsen.

The casting of Liam Neeson in the lead role stirred up a lot of emotions. The actor’s portfolio includes a wide variety of films, but here someone was needed who, like Nielsen, could deliver the most idiotic lines with utter seriousness and a straight face. Neeson did great, perhaps precisely because he doesn’t even try to act in a comedy, but behaves as though his Frank Drebin Jr. were a real tough guy pulled out of some dark police drama – which, when contrasted with the absurdity of the dialogues, events, and characters, produces a wonderfully comic effect. Another very pleasant surprise is Pamela Anderson, who keeps up with her on-screen partner and fits perfectly into the established convention. Anderson was actually supposed to appear in the third Naked Gun, but other professional commitments prevented her from taking part (the role intended for her went to Anna Nicole Smith). And although she had previously appeared in the Scary Movie series, it is only here that she shows the full range of her comedic skills. It’s also necessary to mention the cameo of ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic, present in the series since the first film. Naturally, he couldn’t be left out here.

I must admit that when the film was being made, I was skeptical. It seemed to me that it would be impossible nowadays to create something that could even slightly match the original trilogy and other ZAZ works. However, I can say with satisfaction that the filmmakers managed to make a very good comedy. The gags hit the viewer from all sides and in practically every second of the film. What’s more, one can even find a commentary here on contemporary dependence on technology, presented in a highly accessible way. In some cases, however, the translators in other countries had to work very hard to convey the puns or the meaning of certain jokes. Thus, there are situations where viewers fluent in English get two gags at the same time – one in the dialogue and one in the subtitles.

I really only have one complaint about the film – during the first forty minutes, the pace was kept brilliantly, but later on the whole thing slows down somewhat, only to regain its vigor again in the finale. It’s not that the jokes suddenly disappear; I just got the impression at one point that they became less funny.

MacFarlane and Schaffer, who sat in the director’s chair, have proven not only that it’s still possible to make a film that ridicules everything and everyone, but also that there is still an appetite for such comedies. Both critics’ reviews and audience opinions were largely very positive, so I hope that the new Naked Gun will contribute to a renaissance of similar productions. In a world full of tensions and challenges, we need silly, absurd, but at the same time extremely funny parodies.