{"id":1000065993,"date":"2026-07-26T02:37:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T07:37:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinesist.com\/?p=1000065993"},"modified":"2026-07-27T13:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:31:33","slug":"naked-gun-2025-review","status":"publish","type":"cinesist-review","link":"https:\/\/cinesist.com\/movie-reviews\/naked-gun-2025-review\/","title":{"rendered":"The Naked Gun Review: A Crime Against Comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Legacy media was doing backflips back in ’25 trying to convince us this “revival” captured the spirit of the original. They were trying to get us to sip the studio Kool-aid while the rest of us were being forced to pay a Theater Tax for a movie with the comedic timing of a frozen loading screen. This wasn’t a tribute; it was a total system crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nTL;DR (The Lowdown)<\/strong><\/span>\n\n\n\n\"Cipher\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is a hollowed-out version of a classic being used to boost “brand engagement.” It fails the basic test of being, you know, funny, despite some heavy-hitter names and weirdly timed cameos trying to save the wreckage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warning: System Flaws Found<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The script feels like it was fed through a “Second Screen” algorithm designed to be watched while you\u2019re busy doing anything else. The original Leslie Nielsen masterpieces worked because the world was serious while the characters were idiots; here, the entire world is in on the joke, which completely kills the friction. Every gag is broadcast three minutes before it happens, giving the audience enough time to file their taxes before the punchline lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Thesis:<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Naked Gun (2025) is a bland, corporate reboot that fails to understand why the original worked, leaving a talented Liam Neeson stranded in a sea of predictable gags and bizarre wrestling cameos.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Naked Gun (2025) Missed The Assignment<\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\ud83e\uddecCinescore DNA<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u270d\ufe0fPlot Analysis: Predictable & Lazy<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The “System Flaws” here are massive. The plot doesn’t just borrow from the original; it lazily photocopies it without understanding the ink. Every joke is telegraphed five minutes before it happens, stripping away the element of surprise that made Leslie Nielsen a legend. By the time the “Not Nordberg” gag lands, you\u2019ve already checked your watch twice. It\u2019s a script written by a committee terrified of taking a real risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83e\udd4aThe Liam Neeson Skills: 39 Bad Guys Served<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/linearGradient>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/linearGradient>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/linearGradient>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/defs>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t1<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/linearGradient>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/linearGradient>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/defs>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ud83d\udc8e<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRARE<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Liam\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

Liam Neeson<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2764\ufe0f<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t76<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHP<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\u2694\ufe0f<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t16<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tATK<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t37<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDEF<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\tSNARKY SKILL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\tMETHOD ACTOR MELTDOWN<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t

Increases buzz and critical discussion by 50% for upcoming projects, but lowers schedule stats by 15%.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an Irish actor. He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Northern Ireland and educated at Saint…<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tCS-1000075928<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tFULL INTEL ACCESS →\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t1\/500<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Liam Neeson<\/a>. He is the undisputed MVP of this disaster, but it\u2019s a tragic victory. Neeson understands the assignment perfectly\u2014he treats every absurd line with the gravity of a kidnapped daughter and a “very particular set of skills<\/mark>.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, even a high-tier operative like Neeson can\u2019t save this movie. While he\u2019s playing it straight, the rest of the cast is mugging for the camera like they\u2019re auditioning for a local car commercial. It creates a tonal “glitch in the matrix” where you\u2019re watching a master at work trapped inside a high-budget TikTok prank.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udfadPerformance Payload: Neeson vs. The Extras<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Liam Neeson is the only operative on the field who remembered he was in a movie. He plays it deadpan, exactly how it should be, but he\u2019s surrounded by a cast that acts like they\u2019re in a 30-second TikTok skit. Cody Rhodes looks like a plastic surgery disaster as the bartender, and the rest of the cast feels like stand-ins who were hired because they were cheap, not because they were funny. It\u2019s an elite actor trapped in a middle-school play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udce3Execution: Directed by a Spreadsheet<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Akiva Schaffer and the producers clearly had a checklist of “Brand Assets” to hit rather than a vision to execute. It feels like every scene was focus-grouped into oblivion until all the personality was scrubbed out. The timing is off because the producers were more worried about the Dave Bautista cameo than the actual rhythm of the scene. It\u2019s direction-by-numbers, and the math doesn’t add up to a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\uddbc\ufe0fVisuals & Vibes: The “Eagleman” Aesthetic<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
[ays_poll id=”2″]<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Remember those low-budget “Liberty Mutual” or “Eagleman” commercials from the 90s? That\u2019s the vibe here. The lighting is flat, the sets look like they\u2019re made of painted cardboard, and the digital effects are amateur at best. There\u2019s no cinematic weight\u2014just a series of brightly lit rooms that make you feel like you\u2019re watching a training video for a job you don’t want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u23f1\ufe0fPacing & Rewatch: Off-Key Chaos<\/strong> <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The pacing is a disaster. It starts with a frantic energy that goes nowhere, then stalls for twenty minutes of “Not Nordberg” meta-garbage. You never know what direction the movie is going next because the movie doesn’t know either. As for rewatching? Why would you? You\u2019ve already seen the trailer, which contains 90% of the jokes. Once the data is processed, there\u2019s zero reason to run the program again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know what you’ll say: ‘Cipher, it’s just a silly comedy, stop being a buzzkill.’ Wrong. Comedy needs to be precise. If the timing is off by a second, the whole thing breaks. This isn’t ‘silly’; it’s just lazy corporate math disguised as a movie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n