The Naked Gun

You’ll probably giggle more than you’ll barrel over laughing at The Naked Gun, the joke effectiveness of which lacks the quantity and quality of its predecessor.

It’s more of an affectionate tribute than a full-fledged rebooting of the 1998 comedy spoof that launched late-career stardom for Leslie Nielsen and practically spawned a subgenre that included two sequels and numerous copycats — few of which could match its wackiness and wit.

That includes this ambitious attempt to recapture the magic with Liam Neeson admirably filling Nielsen’s shoes. With its distinctly throwback sensibility, the new batch of slapstick silliness — a rapid-fire barrage of sight gags, one-liners, prop-driven hijinks, and relatively tame double-entendres — is occasionally hilarious yet struggles to sustain its comic momentum at feature length.

Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., who inherited his fictional father’s bumbling propensity for crime solving while working the streets for Police Squad. His partner is Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser), whose dad was the original Frank’s partner.

Their latest case involves the disappearance of a tech executive whose sister, Beth (Pamela Anderson), suspects foul play. As an alluring femme fatale, she draws the interest of Frank as well as a corrupt mogul (Danny Huston) who happened to be her late brother’s boss.

As directed by Akiva Schaffer (Hot Rod), the film caters primarily to an older demographic sharing its fondness for the original Naked Gun movies. Some of the gags feel intentionally dated, as do the pop-culture non sequiturs name-dropping the Black-Eyed Peas, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” and more. But the satirical references aren’t as focused this time around.

Such randomness produces some clever zingers, such as when Frank interrogates a bank robbery suspect (Busta Rhymes): “I see you did 20 years for man’s laughter,” he barks. “That must have been some joke.”

Then there are the groaners, such as an extended montage in which Frank and Beth have their retreat at a mountain chalet interrupted by a vengeful snowman.

Neeson offers a winning deadpan delivery while effectively lampooning his own tough-guy vigilante screen persona by playing along with the physical comedy.

Unfortunately, the breezy screenplay bogs down in its procedural plot in the final half-hour, in which the gags become more sporadic and repetitive. It’s then that you appreciate the go-for-broke nature of the source material, and wistfully wonder if its formula is forever relegated to a bygone era.

Rated PG-13, 85 minutes.