The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear

The end will make things right... It's not bad at all, but it doesn't have the energy of the first film anymore, although I sincerely admire Zucker for his talent to invent such crazy jokes like the original love scene or the “toboggan" ride to Detroit. Drebin is a really good-looking man, and as I mentioned in the introduction, in the end, he's going to perform such an escapade that my diaphragm showed obedience. Extraordinarily apt... It's just a successful and well-escalated parody, but the first film was a little bit better... Maybe I just liked the "noir" style of the first Naked Gun more. (12/06/2004)

The second Naked Gun rides on a similar and still very good wave of parody and absurdity as the first one, and it certainly doesn't lose anything on its predecessor. Frank's second adventure offers another rich load of humorous moments and gags that (repeatedly) tickle the diaphragm and put a genuine laugh on your face. A worthy sequel, whose humorous charm playfully defies time. (23/09/2022)

Watching the film through today's lens (I didn't need glasses back when I saw it first), I realized that some of the jokes had become a bit stale or cringeworthy. But most of the humor still worked for me, and I didn't have to force myself to laugh. I was glad to see members of the police department back in full force not just to kick the ass of garden-variety criminals, but also to face the leaders of the SMOKE, SPILL, and BLAST industries. But let's be honest, this film was never about fighting crime, saving the planet, or justice. These were all just trivial things that got in the way of the greatest romantic on the North American continent on his quest for love. Like the previous film, the second part of the trilogy doesn’t make you think too hard. A significant portion of my brain cells got some time off while I enjoyed an undemanding but entertaining watch. If that’s what the makers of this comedy were going for, it sure was a success. / Lesson learned: Stop by "The Blue Note" sometime, the atmosphere is one of a kind. (19/10/2022)

I have watched this episode much more than all the others, which is, in my opinion, probably the main reason why I like it even more than the first one. Some jokes that are outside the main storyline are absolutely captivating, and I can't help but laugh at them every time. These are exactly the scenes that are mentioned here, they are the ones that always come to mind when it comes to comedies of a parodic nature. It is wonderful to watch a movie after a long time and still laugh at it because those scenes are simply funny. (12/01/2014)