Since it serves as a legacy sequel to three beloved comedies, there was a lot of pressure on The Naked Gun to honor the history of the franchise. Thankfully, reviews for The Naked Gun have 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 of comedy sequels that didn’t live up to the original movies. To include a very recent example, Happy Gilmore 2 has 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 the funniest moments in The Naked Gun.

Unlike Happy Gilmore 2 and many other recent comedy sequels, The Naked Gun features 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 Gun should be the blueprint for legacy sequels.

The Naked Gun Uses Its Franchise Legacy Smartly

In the new Naked Gun movie, 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 allows The Naked Gun to stand on its own.

Unfortunately, many of the stars from the first three Naked Gun movies have pᴀssed 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 with The 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 a Naked Gun movie, 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 for The Naked Gun actually 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 Gun takes some brave comedic swings thanks to this approach. For example, Schaffer had to fight with the studio to keep The Naked Gun’s extended snowman montage in 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 mᴀssive 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 with The Naked Gun‘s O.J. Simpson joke. Overall, The Naked Gun honors 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.