A Worthy Addition to the Franchise
Summary
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a real return to form for a franchise that has been dormant for far too long; it’s great to see the old gang back together and the are some fantastic set-pieces. It has its flaws, but this is still a fun time and if we get a fifth entry I’ll be there (hopefully at a movie theatre).
Plot: After his daughter’s life is threatened, wisecracking Detective Axel Foley teams up with a new partner and some old pals to turn up the heat on a conspiracy.
Review: I spent the past weekend watching the original Beverly Hills Cop trilogy to prepare for this movie as frankly I’ve been really excited for it. I am a little disappointed, like many of you, that this didn’t get a theatrical release as I would have loved to see this on the big screen.
As it is I watched it on Netflix and despite being on a smaller screen, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a welcome addition to the franchise and one of the best entries. I do enjoy all of them for various reasons, but you can find out how we rank them next Wednesday at 8PM EST as we finally return with TAE Live.
Axel F manages to recapture the energy of the original movies while still feeling relevant today; Eddie Murphy and the cast are all much older and they don’t hide from it either. Axel is still the motormouth but he’s more subdued now and is estranged from his daughter Jane. When her life is in danger due to corrupt cops, Axel comes to Beverly Hills to find out what’s happening to protect his daughter. We get the usual father/daughter clichés we’ve seen a million times before, but it works as this entire movie is a love letter to 80’s action movies.
There are some great one-liners, although the script could have maybe been a little funnier in parts; I liked that the story had some heart though and despite it not being new I did like the relationship between Axel and Jane.
There are various nods to the earlier movies, but also a wonderful reference to Shrek as well; I love how Rosewood’s apartment still has the Rambo poster on the wall.
Speaking of which, seeing Axel back with Taggart and Rosewood had me grinning like an idiot as it just felt like we were all old friends reuniting.
There are some fantastic set-pieces here with Foley and Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) stealing a police helicopter, an amazing spectacle; there are plenty of chases and shoot-outs too so we really see the $150 million budget on screen.
Kevin Bacon always makes for a great bad guy, and he doesn’t disappoint here although personally, I always thought the villain in Part 3 was really nasty.
Lorne Balfe knocks it out of the park with the score however, I was disappointed that the track Axel’s Return (below) wasn’t in the film as it was awesome. I’d been listening to it for the past few days imagining some huge action sequence to go along with it, but it was sadly absent.
One of the highlights for me was seeing my old friend Joseph Aviel playing the main henchmen Silva; he was one of my first ever interviews on the site and it’s great to see him in what is arguably one of his biggest roles to date.
Overall, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a real return to form for the franchise and seeing the gang back together is an absolute blast. There are rumours that they are working on a part 5; if they do then let’s have it on the big screen, please.