Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

This week, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, was released on Netflix. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F follows Detroit cop, Axel Foley as he must once again journey to Beverly Hills when his daughter's life is threatened. I am pretty new to this franchise, having watched the other three films for the first time a couple weeks ago. Still, I like Eddie Murphy and was interested to see how this film would go coming out 30 years after the last film.

Overall, I thought this was a good enough addition to the franchise. Sequels that come out decades after the last installment usually don't have the best track record but this film is the rare exception to that. This movie did a great job of bringing back some of the charm of the original film. Eddie Murphy is still able to do his thing 40 years later and is still funny and charming. It is also a lot of fun to see the characters of the original film get back together again especially the original trio of Axel, Billy, and John. I also enjoyed the large action sequences of this film. Several large action sequences are a bit bigger than the other films as the movie gets to use that Netflix money. The movie also has quite a few new characters that integrate well into the story. Joseph Gordon Levit is a welcome addition to the cast and can play off of Eddie Murphy very well with some great chemistry. I also like how this movie manages to adapt to the times. Some of the jokes from the original films would not sit well today but the movie manages to bring new jokes in that are funny without making the movie feel neutered and worried about offending everyone.

There are a few issues I had with the film. I didn't think the daughter's character was very well written. She's there for one purpose and is extremely one-dimensional. She is angry with Axel until the plot requires her not to be without any real explanation. I also thought the villain was a bit forgettable and I didn't feel like he was utilized enough. Finally, I wish we would have spent more time with the original trio. There are a few moments but John, Billy, and Axel are separated for the majority of the movie instead of letting the movie play off of their chemistry.

Overall, while this movie doesn't reach the highs of the original two films, for being a Netflix 30 years later sequel, it is a pretty solid film. It isn't as good as it could be but I still had fun with it.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B Recommendation: Check it out