40 years ago, in 1984, when Beverly Hills Cop hit theaters, Eddie Murphy was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and certainly the biggest box office. A star among stars, adored around the world and earning millions. Among the various franchises he led, detective Axel Foley was always the one who aroused the greatest affection among fans, even though his last appearance 30 years ago, in 1994, was embarrassing. Still, faced with the nostalgic wave of millennials about the culture of the new wave years reaching its peak, Netflix brought Foley back, with all the original cast and the formula too. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. has finally arrived on the platform and it’s time to look at the result. Was it worth the investment?

Axel returns exactly as we know him

As I recall at the end of 2023, when the film was announced, Axel Foley was not written with Eddie Murphy in mind, on the contrary, it was supposed to be a “serious” film with Sylvester Stalone in the cast, but he preferred to transform the original story into the film Cobra and other white actors like Al Pacino, Harrison Ford, Mickey Rourke and James Caan saw no potential in the story of a Detroit detective who ends up solving a crime in sunny Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. The trilogy (the sequel was a success in 1987 and the last part was released in 1994) earned more than 735 million dollars at the worldwide box office.

This potential figure certainly helped redeem the character and Eddie Murphy returned to Axel Foley’s life as if he had never left it behind. He works hard but gets the nostalgia right and that’s because he shamelessly commits to maintaining the formula: from start to finish, including famous songs like The Heat is On and above all the main theme, Axel F was written by Harold Faltermeyer.

Thirty decades after he returned to Detroit, Axel remains as reckless and obsessed as ever, a great detective, a terrible father, and a man whose only goal in life is work. Nothing has changed, or little has changed: he destroys the city, but he solves his cases and there is always someone who saves him from the consequences. Amid his usual problems, he receives a call from his friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) warning him that Alex’s daughter, now an adult and distant, Jane (Taylour Paige) is in danger. Jane is a defense lawyer and when investigating a case of corruption in the Los Angeles police she becomes the target of criminals and drug dealers.

Anyone who grew up in the 1980s knows that the formula at the time was to mix simple plots with chases in music video format, with pop music blaring at full volume. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F uses and abuses this school. There is no young man who tries to modernize the old-fashioned Axel, he is still surrounded by the same friends, now all older, fat, and tired, but still having fun. And having fun!

Murphy’s personality dominates the narrative and the sequences are meant to explore his signature laugh, and his priceless expressions and distract us. Don’t expect more than that! And if you want to catch up, or prepare yourself BEFORE rescuing Axel Foley, the three previous films are available on the platform.

The greatest quality of Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is knowing not to take himself seriously and escaping any attempt to innovate. It is shamelessly a “retread”, a comedy with no commitment other than laughter and recycling of what worked four decades ago. As for the cases that Axel solves, the mystery is not complex: “Some things never change”, they repeat throughout the film. And that’s exactly what Netflix hopes: that those who enjoy more of the same will appreciate the present. I liked!

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