Overview

• Akiva Schaffer’s fourth Naked Gun film stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. in a Seth MacFarlane-produced legacy sequel that revives the franchise without its original creators.
• Writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand fast-tracked an O. J. Simpson callback into the “Hall of Fathers” gag to balance nostalgia with fresh humor.
• “Weird Al” Yankovic and Priscilla Presley make blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameos, continuing a longstanding franchise tradition of surprise guest turns.
• Critics praise Neeson’s deadpan commitment and the movie’s relentless pratfalls, puns and deadpan chaos as faithful nods to the original trilogy.
• David Zucker said he’s pleased by its strong opening but will not watch or participate creatively in the reboot.