The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 20, 2025

I don't think that 1988's The Naked Gun is some sort of sacred cow movie, and I am not wholly against remakes or reboots of any sort (I loved the remake of The Karate Kid), but it is a movie I dearly love and had no interest in seeing spun around into a more modern take (which was my same feeling going into The Karate Kid, for that matter). So when I first heard that a Naked Gun remake/reboot/re-whatever was on the horizon, I feared the worst: that it would turn out to be a lame-brained, empty attempt to cash-in on a name with a sad story and a cast unworthy of the original's all star lineup. But when word reached me that a big name was attached to play the part of Leslie Nielsen's Frank Drebin, I grew more intrigued, and when that name was revealed to be Liam Neeson, I grew interested in the project and even developed a desire to actually see it. And it's actually a pretty solid reboot and, hopefully, paves the way for more in the future.

The film’s plot is set into motion when the P.L.O.T. device is stolen from a safety deposit box during a brazen bank robbery. Frank Drebin (The New One) (Liam Neeson), does not prevent the heist, but he does take out a bunch of the bad guys. Now, those same baddies are lawyering-up to sue the city and make police squad goes belly-up. Drebin is blamed, he’s pulled off the case, and pulled into another: an apparent suicide of a man named Simon Davenport. His sister Beth (Pamela Anderson) contacts Drebin to work the case. Hilarity (mostly) ensues as a connection between the murder and the P.L.O.T is made .

The plot is pretty simple and pretty secondary to the pretty mindless string if pretty meaningless gags, but that's pretty much why every one wants to watch The Naked Gun. The P.L.O.T. is secondary to the gags, which surprisingly hit pretty well in classic ZAZ style. In fact, so many of the little gags would feel right at home if they were transplanted into any of the Leslie Nielsen films. Oftentimes, it's little doings playing out in the background that really bring about the most laughs. Take, for example, an otherwise innocuous moment where characters walk past a mug shot which turns into a Fabio-inspired sort of fashion shoot, or look at how words are oriented on doors around the Police Squad headquarters building. There has been a lot of thought put into the humor in the film, and it's the jokes that propel the movie forward. But the plot does start to drag towards the end, and even the ZAZ-esque jokes can't really keep the movie afloat for the final 20 or so minutes. It works well until it reaches that final stretch towards the climax where the movie just runs out of gas. I found myself rooting for it to end rather than hoping for it to keep going. For as much fun as I had in the first hour, I was watching the seconds tick by in the final act.

Most of the movie's success stems from the wonderful gags that fill much of the first two acts, but it's really Liam Neeson that turns out to be the heart and soul of the movie. Liam Neeson is a natural successor to Leslie Nielsen (he even has the same initials), and he does equally well in channeling his predecessor (he plays his son, after all) while also making Drebin his own. He mixes and matches slapstick with deadpan seriousness, playing dumb not dumb, logical and illogical, all over the map with perfect cadence. Neeson embraces the part and milks it for everything it's worth and is alone reason for watching. The rest of the cast is fine, but Neeson rightly dominates this film, as Nielsen did his, and I would love to see more of him playing Drebin, Jr., even if that movie, like this one, would run out of steam at the end.

The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Paramount's 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD release of The Naked Gun delivers a stout, format-worthy image that delights in its own right but also tightens up the image from the companion Blu-ray. While not a bad image at all, there was some too-aggressive sharpness on the 1080p presentation that is not at all an issue here. The UHD delivers firmer and more natural definition, increased clarity, and greater detail across the board. I was routinely impressed with the natural clarity and stability in evidence all across the spectrum, from bright exteriors to dim and low light interiors. Definition never falters, and while it might not be a beast of a UHD, the overall finesse and accuracy certainly makes this the clear winner over the Blu-ray. The Dolby Vision grading likewise adds tonal stability and richness to the film. While not overly aggressive in terms of color expression and explosion, the firmer hues; the more natural gradations; and the superior blacks, whites, and skin tones all play a part in vaulting the Dolby Vision grading well ahead of the Blu-ray's SDR presentation. I didn't notice any source faults or encode flubs to report. This is a solid image all round.

The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Much like the video counterpart, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack is technically rock solid if not somewhat basic in its delivery parameters. The film is not exactly a sonic powerhouse, but it does exhibit plenty of depth and stretch and impact as the situation warrants. For example, there's a fun sequence around the 19-minute mark when an electric car causes some accidents to happen that results in some impactful audio cues. There is some thumping music later in the film and raucous backgrounds at the WWFC fight, and it's in moments like these where the track finds some push and prowess, muscle and might behind it. But, otherwise, it's pretty basic stuff, with some nice depth to gunshots, good stretch and detail to music, and perfectly clear and clean and centered dialogue. There are not any obvious "stuff spilling from the top" moments in the track; the overheads are more in a support rather than dominant in role, but that sort of alignment suits the movie and the material just fine.

The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of The Naked Gun includes a handful of extras in addition to a digital copy code and a non-embossed slipcover.

• A Legacy of Laughter (1080p, 8:57): Looking at the comparison between the old and new, cast and characters, direction, writing, crafting various scenes, humor, and more.
• Son of a (Naked) Gun (1080p, 5:59): Neeson's work on the film and why he fit the part so well.
• The Funny Femme Fatale (1080p, 4:32): Focusing in on Pamela Anderson's performance and character.
• The Really Unusual Suspects (1080p, 4:22): Exploring some of the characters and actors beyond Neeson and Anderson.
• On Set of a Set Within a Set That's in a Set (1080p, 3:42): A quick behind-the-scenes look at the making of one of the film's key moments and the set(s) built around it.
• Dropping the Balls (1080p, 3:26): Making the WWFC sequence.
• Outtakes (1080p): Humorous moments from the shoot. Included are Outtake Montage (8:28) and WWFC Outtakes (4:00).
• Deleted, Alternate, and Extended Scenes (1080p, 16:32 total runtime): Included are Bank Fight #1 (Extended), Bank Fight #2 (Extended), Noir Opening (Alternate), Last Years Incident Joke (Alternate), Cane's Boardroom (Deleted), Beth Scat (Extended), Frank Sees Wolf (Deleted), Tivo (Alternate), Facade Moment (Extended), Frank and ed See Balls (Deleted), Skybox (Deleted), Beth Weapons (Extended), Frank Rant in Octagon (Deleted), Frank and Cane Under Arena (Extended), Frank and Ed Under Arena (Deleted), and Revenge Kill Speech (Extended).

The Naked Gun 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think Paramount has something here with Liam Neeson rebirthing the role of Frank Drebin. I for one want more. Sure, this movie could have been better, especially towards the end, and plot does matter to a degree, because I just found myself not caring at the climax. Still, the rest of the movie is well worth it for the ZAZlike gags and Neeson's spot-on performance. Paramount's UHD delivers healthy video and audio paired with a decent smattering of extras. Recommended!