Every Naked Gun Movie, Ranked

Across more than four decades, the Naked Gun franchise has set the gold standard for screwball comedy, but which of the movies is the best? Starting as a short-lived TV series entitled Police Squad!, the franchise would really get started with the release of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! in 1988.

Unlike more conventional comedies which rely on straightforward situational humor, the franchise instead crafts intricate and ridiculous gags that often border on the surreal. Many of the jokes hinge on the performance of the series lead (originally Leslie Nielsen but later Liam Neeson), who plays the perennial straight man to the weird things happening around him.

To prove the lasting power of the Naked Gun franchise, it did something that many series couldn't. They were given a soft reboot in 2025 that actually honored the humor and legacy of the earlier films. While there is a clear hierarchy within the Naked Gun movie series, all the beloved screwball classics are good for a laugh or two.

4 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)

Unlike a lot of other long-running franchises, there really aren't any bad movies in the Naked Gun series. Nevertheless, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult is the weakest of the lot. Called out of retirement, Lt. Frank Drebin is sent undercover to stop a terrorist from blowing up the Academy Awards ceremony.

The plot is appropriately zany, and the jokes come just as fast and furious as before. However, some of the bits don't land quite as strongly as they did in the past, and many gags feel like rehashes from the earlier movies. Nevertheless, the film does parody much better than its predecessors, taking hilarious jabs at famous movie moments.

Naked Gun 33 1/3 opens with a parody of the Odessa Steps sequence from the avant-garde film, Battleship Potemkin, a particularly highbrow joke for such a lowbrow franchise. The third Naked Gun movie features some of Leslie Nielsen's best work as Frank Drebin, and it shows how comfortable he was in the role by his final appearance in the franchise.

3 The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Of Fear (1991)

Making a sequel to The Naked Gun is a hilarious proposition on paper, and The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear wastes no time in poking fun at itself. While trying to win back the affections of Jane, Lt. Drebin must stop a shady power company from silencing a scientist who is pushing for eco-friendly alternative energy sources.

Like its predecessor, The Naked Gun 2 1/2 is essentially a parody of classic police procedurals, so a lot of the humor is derived from poking holes in classic cliches. While the film still features plenty of brilliant absurdist jokes and surreal gags, there is also plenty of slapstick humor as well. Unfortunately, it does suffer from being a sequel.

Because The Naked Gun 2 1/2 was tasked with following the original, it was always going to pale in comparison. The original is so well-written that every second crackles with humor, and while the sequel is hilarious, it's always just one small step behind. That being said, The Smell of Fear is still one of the best '90s comedies.

2 The Naked Gun (2025)

There was a tremendous amount of pressure on the legacy sequel to The Naked Gun, and amazingly, the film turned out great. Liam Neeson stars as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the franchise's original hero, who must save his beloved precinct by solving a tough case. Instead of an out-and-out remake, the newest film is something of a continuation.

Writer/director Akiva Schaffer clearly understands what makes the Naked Gun movies work, so the humor in the 2025 film comes from the same playbook. The film is never afraid to be absolutely bonkers to get a laugh, something that most modern comedies never do. Neeson's casting was a stroke of genius, and he plays the role completely straight.

The Naked Gun (2025) is without a doubt the second-best film in the franchise, not only because it's funny, but because of its accomplishment. Making another Naked Gun movie without any of the original creative team was risky, but the risk ultimately paid off. Nevertheless, the reboot could never surpass the original, no matter how funny it is.

1 The Naked Gun: From The Files Of Police Squad! (1988)

Nearly a decade after the short-lived TV show was canned, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! brought the screwball gem back to life. While investigating the attempted murder of his partner, Lt. Drebin uncovers a nefarious assassination plot. Naturally, the plot elements are merely a backdrop for a myriad of goofy jokes.

A fixture among classic screwball comedies, The Naked Gun is also an effective parody film. The sly lampooning of classic cop tropes helps to make the film hilarious on two fronts, and keeps things somewhat grounded even as the humor reaches surreal levels. The performance of Leslie Nielsen is the ingredient that really ties everything together.

His deadpan delivery is itself a joke, and Nielsen is the greatest comedy straight man to ever live. The best comedies are enjoyable on the first, fifth, or even 100th viewing, and The Naked Gun is certainly one of those films. It's obviously the best of its own franchise, and arguably one of comedy's all-time greats as well.