Since it serves as a legacy sequel to three beloved comedies, there was a lot of pressure onThe Naked Gunto honor the history of the franchise. Thankfully,reviews forThe Naked Gunhave been amazing, proving that director Akiva Schaffer, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and the rest of the team behind the movie knocked it out of the park.
Over the years, there have been plenty ofcomedy sequels that didn’t live up to the original movies. To include a very recent example,Happy Gilmore 2has faced criticism from some fans for being way too over-the-top and relying too much on cameos. In contrast, fans of the original Leslie Nielsen-led movies have praised thefunniest moments inThe Naked Gun.
UnlikeHappy Gilmore 2and many other recent comedy sequels,The Naked Gunfeatures an entirely new cast than the original films. Despite this, the film perfectly honors the previous three movies and mimics their unique style of slapstick comedy. Therefore,going forward,The Naked Gunshould be the blueprint for legacy sequels.
The Naked Gun Uses Its Franchise Legacy Smartly
In the newNaked Gunmovie,Neeson, Anderson, and the rest of the cast perfectly honor the franchise’s legacy by nailing the tone. At the same time, it also seems like it was a priority to separate the new movie from the previous trilogy. Even though those films are beloved, this allowsThe Naked Gunto stand on its own.
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Unfortunately, many of the stars from the first threeNaked Gunmovies have passed away, which made it impossible to include them as is commonly done with legacy sequels. These movies often spend far too much time focusing on nostalgia and can be weighed down by a reliance on connecting to what was and not spearheading something new.
That is definitely not the case withThe Naked Gun. The new movie honors Nielsen through the owl, but it also succeeds at telling its own unique story that is somewhat relevant to the modern world. It’s still very much aNaked Gunmovie, but it’s one that’s made for modern audiences, not just those who loved Nielsen’s original trilogy.
Therefore, the fact that none of the main characters from the original three films return forThe Naked Gunactually works to its advantage. It forces the movie to work on its own merits, make its own jokes, and operate as more of a reboot than a typical legacy sequel.
The Naked Guntakes some brave comedic swingsthanks to this approach. For example, Schaffer had tofight with the studio to keepThe Naked Gun’sextended snowman montagein the movie. He and the rest of the creative team weren’t afraid to take risks, which is an important lesson they learned from the original films.
There is clearly a massive amount of admiration for the original movies in this new entry, but there’s also not too much reverence where it plays it safe, as noted withThe Naked Gun’s O.J. Simpson joke. Overall,The Naked Gunhonors the original films, but is never too weighed down by the nostalgia factor, and this is something that future legacy sequels should be mindful of.
