CinemaBlind’s Review – 80%
If you are shocked by the rating we gave Netflix’s upcoming action-comedy sequel to the 40-year-old franchise Beverly Hills Cop franchise, then I am with you because I also went into watching this film with a lot of skepticism, but it kept winning me over again and again. Don’t misunderstand me when I say that this film isn’t that good if I watch it as a critique, but if you are a fan of this film franchise like I am, you can’t ask for a better sequel than this one.
Eddie Murphy returns to reprise the role of Axel Foley, which is certainly one of his most iconic roles ever, and thankfully, the film’s creators didn’t mess with him as they did with Indiana Jones in Dial of Destiny. Axel Foley is still a wise-cracking daredevil even if he is getting old, and while he does have some relationships that he needs to work on now, the traits in him we liked in the first place are still there.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F picks up the story of Axel Foley in the present time in Detroit, and he returns to Beverly Hills once again when his daughter’s life is threatened. When he arrives, he teams up with his daughter, a new Beverly Hills detective, and his old pals to uncover a conspiracy within the Beverly Hills police department.
As you can expect, the plot of this film is extremely simple because we aren’t here for a complex mystery that will blow our minds. No, we are here to see Murphy cracking jokes at the uptight people living in Beverly Hills Cop, his bond with his longtime friends, and some fun action scenes that will never be compared to John Wick but still are entertaining to watch.
Alongside Murphy, we see the return of Judge Reinhold as William “Billy” Rosewood, John Ashton as John Taggart, Paul Reiser as Jeffrey Friedman, and Bronson Pinchot as Serge. It was a pleasure seeing all of them sharing the screen once again, and even after all this time, none of them seemed to miss a beat. The addition of Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Detective Bobby Abbott, Taylour Paige as Jane Saunders, and Kevin Bacon as Captain Cade Grant is also entertaining to watch, and while they could have worked on Bacon’s character a bit more, it’s still good enough.
So, in conclusion, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F isn’t a great film that will blow your mind, but still, it is a very entertaining watch, and for the fans, it will be a treat. If you love films like Bad Boys: Ride or Die, which is doing great at the box office, then there is no chance of you finding this film anything less than a fun watch with a lot of nostalgia and countless laughs.