General Film News

[Wrathbone]

That looks abysmal.

[Sly Boots]

It's not for me. No offence to Liam Neeson, but Leslie Nielsen will always be Frank Drebin imo.

Edit: Have actually watched the trailer now, so at least they're not trying to make Neeson be Drebin (rather his son), but it's pretty obvious that's the character they want to go for, so I think the point still stands.

[ManBearSquid]

Absolutely fucking not.

[Sly Boots]

Although it's hard to get a full picture of it from a short teaser trailer, I think the biggest problem with it is going to be the writing. Go back and watch Naked Gun now, or the Police Squad TV episodes, and pretty much everything on screen at any moment is either a visual, physical or verbal gag. Nielsen's deadpan was an essential part of making that work, sure, but the comedy was just as much (if not more) about crazy shit happening all around him and him not reacting to it, as it was Nielsen being the one actually doing the crazy shit.

I'm not convinced the writers have the same wit as the Zuckers in the first place, nor the understanding of the above.

One example of where it doesn't work for me is actually the OJ joke in the trailer - which is one aspect I've seen be praised for actually acknowledging him. Original Police Squad or Naked Gun wouldn't have had another character breaking the fourth wall and mugging to the camera, it would have been some kind of visual gag that no-one references, like the portrait was defaced or was just a smoking crater on the wall.

I'm rambling a bit, but tl;dr would be that beyond the crap idea of continuing a beloved series that didn't need to be revived and no-one was asking for, I just don't have any faith that the people behind it understand what made the originals so good.

[Wrathbone]

I just don't have any faith that the people behind it understand what made the originals so good.

That was where I landed after the trailer. They don't get it. I do think Liam Neeson is the best casting choice they could have made, though I fear his deadpan performance could carry too much menace.

The one thing that most stood out to me as a mistake in the trailer was the music. When Drebbin removes his disguise in the Axis of Evil meeting at the start of the first film, the heroic trumpet fanfare does so much heavy lifting in making it funny. I hope the modern music in the trailer was just for the trailer, because it doesn't work in service of the comedy at all. I also hated the CGI way in which his schoolgirl disguise transforms into him. That should 100% have been a ridiculous jump cut from actual schoolgirl to Neeson stood there in a schoolgirl outfit. Again, they don't get it.

[ManBearSquid]

Entirely agree with both of you. From the trailer alone there was so much unused space in comparison to the originals.

Tone is also super important and this, albeit just a teaser trailer, just didn't have it right for me at all.

The only good I see coming of this is that it switches younger folk on to the classic originals (at least the series and first two movies, the third also drifted a bit, in my opinion).

[Animalmother]

I'm going to guess that footage was shot specifically for the trailer and won't be in the film. I agree that it's a series that doesn't need a remake and probably wouldn't work with modern audiences.

[Raid]

I was a bit miffed about the stabbing with the lolly stick, which felt a bit gratuitous and out of place, but dismissed it as I figured it was probably just a riff on it being Liam Neeson in the starring role. The more I've thought about it though, the more I agree with the rest of you. This isn't the same style of humour at all.

[Mantis]

I agree with all of this but I still think it might be alright on its own merit. I'm imaging it to be a bit of a mix of Neeson's classic violent action hammed up to silly levels combined with an element of the classic Naked Gun wit. Whether it should have the right to carry the Naked Gun name is another matter but I don't think it'll be an awful movie if you just try to view it as it's own thing.

Nothing can ever really top the original films anyway.

[Lenny Solidus]

[Hatredsheart]

[Stormbringer]

It's awesome that they're setting it on Holy Island.

It reminds me of one of my favourite childhood books, Brother in the Land, which is basically A Very British Fallout, if you can imagine such a thing.

Spoiler

In a later, revised edition of the book, there's a survivor colony on Lindisfarne.

[Lenny Solidus]

[ManBearSquid]

I know what I won't be doing THIS summer. Watching this.

[Lenny Solidus]