In the ‘90s, parody movies were plentiful, but as big blockbusters dominated multiplexes throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the mid-budget comedy started to go extinct. The Naked Gun, from The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, feels like a wonderful throwback to the joke-a-minute comedies we used to see so regularly. 

Liam Neeson is Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s OG Frank from the original Naked Gun trilogy. He’s joined here by Pamela Anderson, who gives a pitch-perfect performance as our leading lady, Beth Davenport. Together, they uncover the crimes and corruption of billionaire Richard Cane (Danny Huston), leading them through a series of visual gags, slapstick bits, and hilarious references. Basically, it’s exactly what you would expect from a Naked Gun movie.

Nielsen left some very big shoes to fill, mastering the mix of physical buffoonery and straight delivery that made the Naked Gun series work so well. Neeson brings his own persona to the film, playing on the audience’s perception of him from films like Taken. He mostly succeeds, using his very particular set of skills to play up the absurdity.

Anderson truly shines here, channeling the same earnest but highly comedic delivery perfected by Priscilla Presley in the originals. She’s a femme fatale, a gal Friday, and a comedic force that made me glad we’re living in the Pam Renaissance. 

The first 30 minutes or so of The Naked Gun tap into the exact vibe of the original series. The density of jokes is always a highlight with these movies, between tons of visual gags and corny-but-great lines. If you don’t like a joke, just wait longer and you’ll get another one that will make you laugh because they come at you so fast. 

The film slumps a bit in the middle, going for longer stretches without a punchline as we move the plot forward—but even this feels in line with the previous movies. I have deep nostalgia for 33 1/3 but even I can admit that the pace of the comedy slows down quite a bit in the second and third acts. 

Having grown up on parodies like Hot Shots, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Don’t be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon 1, and Austin Powers, I didn’t realize how much I missed this entire genre.

It might be overdramatic to say that a dumb parody movie can make you feel hopeful, but as I sat surrounded by people laughing at the rapid-fire jokes, I couldn’t help but think about how nice it was to see a comedy like this in a movie theater instead of just on streaming.