All of The Naked Gun Films, Ranked

Before The Naked Gun trilogy (1984-1994), no one would have associated police procedurals with brilliant slapstick and satire. With the latest entry being one of the best comedies of 2025, let’s see how they all stack up against each other.

4

The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994)

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Going into The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, fans knew what to expect—plenty of gags and humor with a nonsensical plot to tie it all together. There was also more of Leslie Nielsen’s famous deadpan delivery, a style of comedy where humorous lines and situations are delivered with a straight face. This installment, however, came with diminished laughs in return.

This is not to say you won’t have a good time watching it. It’s still funny to watch Detective Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad (Nielsen) come out of retirement to stop a terrorist attack at the Oscars. It had some star power behind it, with Fred Ward playing the main villain and Anna Nicole Smith as the femme fatale.

The problem with the third entry is that the humor had become formulaic, the gags weaker, and the slapstick overly blown. I think it also tried to spoof more movies (e.g., The Shawshank Redemption and Die Hard), unlike the first two, making it all feel less cohesive.

3

The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)

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The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is when we start seeing the gags and slapstick become more chaotic and relentless. This time, Frank has to stop an oil tycoon (played by Quentin Hapsburg) who wants the US to continue relying on non-renewable energy sources (e.g., nuclear, oil, and coal) to further line his pockets and maintain influence. He kidnaps a scientist pushing for a new policy centered on renewable energy, replacing him with a double that advocates for the opposite.

Out of the three movies in the original trilogy, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear’s story is the least silly and has a surprising element of environmental satire. We also see Frank go through some growth while trying to rekindle his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Jane (Priscilla Presley). It also gets a boost of hilarity from the supporting cast, who play a bigger role in helping Frank thwart the oil tycoon’s plot than in the original.

Praise goes to the film for taking the foundation of the first movie and refining it. At this point, the shock value of the visual gags and deadpan humor had lost some of its impact, but it was still done pretty well. However, instead of innovating, the sequel leaned heavily on what worked and left some of it feeling recycled.

2

The Naked Gun (2025)

The Naked Gun trilogy has gained renewed interest lately, thanks to the sequel-reboot titled The Naked Gun. It stars Liam Neeson playing Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Lt. Frank Drebin, in his most goofy role to date. The new movie also spoofs spy thrillers like the Mission: Impossible series, and sees Frank on a mission to save Police Squad as the mayor tries to shut it down due to his reckless behavior.

While being reassigned to keep him out of trouble, Frank still manages to find himself caught up in the tech billionaire’s scheme to reset society by emitting a signal that sends everyone into a frenzied rage. The Naked Gun is better than the sequels to the original, thanks to its constant stream of modern and over-the-top gags, satire, and wordplay that poke fun at tech billionaires and the dangers of advanced tech in a hyperconnected world.

It feels fresh enough to elicit genuine laughs (rather than a snort). At the same time, it’s relevant while cleverly avoiding specific pop culture references that can make it dated by a few years.

What makes the movie even better is Neeson’s surprising deadpan delivery, which he does in his intimidating dad voice from Taken. I guess it’s not surprising to see actors known for serious roles doing spot-on comedy, considering Nielsen himself was primarily known as a dramatic actor before the original trilogy. Another surprise was Pamela Anderson playing the femme fatale and Frank’s love interest, Beth, leading to some hilarious moments of innuendo.

1

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)

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When it comes to The Naked Gun trilogy, you can’t beat the original’s excellent comedic timing. For many moviegoers, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was the first time they were introduced to the absurd but honest Lt. Frank Drebin in all his bumbling glory. It set the tone for the series, with Nielsen’s deadpan delivery and slapstick brilliance shining throughout.

Many people don’t know that the first Naked Gun movie was inspired by the Police Squad! TV series. This was a spoof of police procedurals that ran for only six episodes and featured Frank and his colleagues solving crimes the best way they know how—bumbling through them. Over the years, it has amassed a cult following.

The plot involves a villain (played by Ricardo Montalbán) planning to kill the Queen of England at a baseball game. The plan involves turning one of the players into an assassin through mind control, and it’s up to Frank to figure out who and stop them. It’s silly, but that doesn’t matter much because it satirizes the cop genre to great effect, with plenty of gags, quotable one-liners, and a silly but charming love plot.

Compared to the sequels, the original felt fresh, and the script benefited from being very focused. The sequels were funny, don’t get me wrong, but they increasingly relied on recycled jokes and broad humor, moving away from what made the original great.

I hope The Naked Gun sequel reboot spawns additional movies, and it’s great to see the series revitalize Liam Neeson’s career. I also hope parody movies make a comeback in a world where people quickly move on from parody-worthy situations thanks to YouTube and social media.