Review of Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult

Introduction

Naked Gun 33 1/3 is the final instalment that ends on a funny note for the overall Naked Gun series. In this film the dim and now retired Frank Drebin, played to perfection by actor Leslie Nielsen, is called on one last case that involves a terrorist, his mother and Hollywood`s main event of the year…the Academy Awards. The film is filled with great comic scenes, including the hilarious takeoff on the railroad-station sequence from the classic De Palma film The Untouchables.

As well as having parodies from past film classics, it also has much adolescent sexual humour, as well as a non-politically correct teasing on homosexuals and racial/ethical stereotyping created by the media . The jokes are greatly timed thanks to the impeccable cast who managed to be straight faced during the whole movie. Fans of the series won`t be disappointed.

Video

Paramount has released the film on DVD in a widescreen 1.78:1 aspect ratio format. It is further enhanced with an anamorphic transfer, which help with picture information detail. The disc is perhaps the best looking out of the previous two films on DVD, but it also has a couple of problems. Firstly, some wear and tear blemishes can be seen in a few scenes in the form of black specks and lines. Secondly, the overall image appeared a tad soft in some places. Colour saturation and fleshtones are quite pleasing, while no compression artefact was found while viewing this disc.

Audio

The DVD features three audio soundtracks. The first track is a remixed English 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack, which has decent stereo separation on the front channels and sound effects on the rear channels spacious adding on to the soundfield.

The second audio soundtrack is in German Dolby Digital Surround 2.0. It has a good stereo activity and is similar to the Naked Gun 2 DVD in terms of quality. The third audio track is in Hungarian Dolby Digital Mono, which is quite clear and free from sound distortion.

Features

Menu navigation is easy and is motionless. Supplement materials include a group commentary track with Director Peter Segal, Associate Producer Michael Ewing, and Producers Robert Weiss & David Zucker. This commentary track also has gags coming at you from the start to the end of the film, which all participants shine in.

Also included is the original theatrical trailer that is presented in anamorphic widescreen.

Conclusion

This disc is the best-looking Naked Gun instalment on DVD. It is a great end to the trilogy and a nice way to complete your collection on the series. It is even worth purchasing if your going for the box set, which contains all the film series.