Available to Stream on Netflix
Spoiler Alert
One of the most beloved franchises from the 80s is Beverly Hills Cop. I believe that’s because of the music. To bring it back decades later had me asking why. While part of the reason is attributed to Eddie Murphy enjoying a comeback after the success of Dolemite Is My Name, there may be another reason. Last year’s Candy Cane Lane is forgettable, I’ll still think of him as the irrepressible Donkey from the Shrek films more than anything else. As for the character that made him the superstar, to title the continuation Beverly Hills Cop Axel F says it all.
Although I was half expecting to hear new music, the new song remixes works just as well. Sadly, this fourth instalment forgets Patti Labelle’s “Stir It Up.” I can listen to that song all day. But as for this film, it doesn’t really focus on the beloved element that made the early two films (the third wasn’t that good) memorable. It’s the camaraderie the trio–Foley (Murphy), Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Taggert (John Ashton)–had together that made this franchise special.
When someone from the team doesn’t make his appearence until the end, the formula is out the window. And as for his daughter being threatened, that’s the only catalyst for this cop from Detroit to visit the City of Angels. Jane (Taylour Paige) get too deeply involved in a court case, and although she’s not happy with Daddy, he’s willing to help her out even though they’ve never spoken for many years. Their story isn’t too different from others I’ve seen, and unfortunately, I wasn’t all that invested since there wasn’t enough development to sell the fact that Foley settled down and had a family.
Instead, it’s more about what can this group do now? Although Murphy’s charm carries this work, I wanted to see more about what Billy has been up to. He’s almost written out of the script and it’s simply stated he went missing while on the job. He’s a private investigator. By the time he’s back, there’s very little for him to do.
As for John, he’s now a police captain of this precinct, and this movie does not delve into whether his family life has gotten better since the early days. Although this update doesn’t cover every single detail on where everyone has gone, it’s to be expected. It’s a shame Ronny Cox (Lt. Andrew Bogomil) wasn’t available as he’s a favourite actor of mine.
Even though parts of this work is reliant on nostalgia, I’m glad to revisit this buddy cop franchise again. Although it’s more focussed on Foley with a new partner Bobby (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), I was waiting for when the original trio would get back together again. I won’t say when they finally team up again, but it’s there.
A fifth film is in development, and my big question concerns whether it’ll get a theatrical or Netflix release? As long as it remembers to revisit old pals and offers the music like the first two films did, then there’s hope.
3 Stars out of 5
Beverly Hills Cop Axel F Movie Trailer
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