5 Great Comedy Movie Sequels (And 5 That Were Disappointments)

4. Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991)

I very much miss the days when Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker were at their peak. They're responsible for "Airplane!", "Top Secret!," "The Naked Gun," and Jim Abrahams was also responsible for the "Hot Shots" movies. When you think about all the terrible parody movies that have come out in the past ten years, it's amazing to think just how continually innovative, fresh, and silly all those films were back then. I could have easily picked "Hot Shots: Part Deux" to be on this list, but "Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear" has always tickled my fancy. Lieutenant Frank Drebin is back and this time around, he has to save a scientist from being kidnapped by suppliers of the oil, coal, and nuclear businesses. Things get especially complicated when he discovers that his former girlfriend's new significant other is involved in the kidnapping plot. The main cast returns for this one, which includes Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, George Kennedy, and OJ Simpson. As usual with these types of films, there's rarely an unfunny moment. The difference between these movies, and the more recent monstrosities by Friedberg and Seltzer is that Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker actually cared about letting the movie stand on its own and they never relied too much on pop culture jokes. This is why the Naked Gun movies are endlessly rewatchable, even the third film is packed with plenty of laughs. But the main not-so-secret weapon is Leslie Nielsen, who always plays his character straight-faced in spite of the ridiculousness that surrounds him. Comic actors never get the proper credit they deserve, but Nielsen always had the most perfect facial expressions.