‘Axel F’ is an entertaining retelling

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F It wasn’t created by an algorithm, but you could be forgiven if you thought it was. Co-written by Will Beall, co-author Bad Boys: Ride or Dieand Tom Gormican and Kevin Eton, who wrote The unbearable weight of enormous talent Plus, this attempt to revive a franchise that has been dormant for the past 30 years attempts to incorporate all of the familiar elements from the original three films.

Less than a minute into the film, released exclusively on Netflix, we hear the saxophone blasts of “The Heat Is On,” Glenn Frey’s hit from the original Beverly Hills CopIt is immediately followed by Bob Seger’s “Shakedown” Beverly Hills Cop II and the Pointer Sisters’ “Neutron Dance,” which is reminiscent of Part 1. In the opening montage, Eddie Murphy, still working his Superhighway-wide smile as Detroit detective Axel Foley, roams his city while images of ordinary people on the streets flash by, a clear throwback to the intro that started the franchise.

The big set piece that follows — an attempted robbery at a Detroit Red Wings game that Axl is determined to foil — lands Axl in trouble with his superiors, as usual. (Paul Reiser, reprising his role as Axl’s onetime partner, Jeffrey, is now the chief.) Then Axl learns that two people he cares about are in potential danger in L.A.: his estranged daughter, Jane (Taylour Paige of the Zola), a criminal defense attorney representing a client who may be framed by corrupt cops, and Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), an old friend of Axl’s who is embroiled in uncovering the truth about those same cops. Axl returns to Beverly Hills before he can say Harold Faltermeyer, trying to solve a case that is 100 percent outside of his jurisdiction, because this guy Works in Michigan,

This is the same plug-and-play plot structure that was used in the first three films, i.e. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F It’s quite formulaic. But still, everyone Beverly Hills Cop What are the films. Why were the first two films so successful — Beverly Hills Cop III In my world that’s not canon – it’s that he also served as the delivery system for Murphy’s charm, as a complete ham willing to act out or speak in a parade of silly voices to get laughs. Axel F That happens, too, but more than anything, it’s a reminder of how fun it can be to watch Beverly Hills Cop Movies.

Despite the reliance on the familiar, Axel F In fact it’s largely a good time, so breezy and insistent on not taking itself too seriously that you can’t help but be annoyed even when the dialogue sometimes sounds like it’s been pumped out by ChatGPT. “Goddamn it, Foley,” says John Taggart (John Ashton), now the head of the Beverly Hills Police Department, during one of Axl’s many felonies. “Here we go again.” Oh my god, Foley, we’ll start again now This would have been the perfect title for this movie.

Murphy could probably play the role in his sleep, but he really enjoys doing Axel Foley things, like assuming a false identity to gain access to much-needed intelligence – “I’m Axel Foley, the producer of the new Liam Neeson revenge thriller, to seize“He’s an aspiring actor working at a rig — and flexing his muscles for the camera by singing along with Mary J. Blige or flashing his trademark smile when he gets the chance (he often does.)

There’s a lot of plot twists in Axl and Jane’s story. She holds a deep resentment towards him for caring more about his work than his daughter, which, wow, I’ve never heard that before. But Paige and Murphy put so much heart into their arguments and conversations that we feel their issues are real and unique to their relationship.

While the returning actors can comfortably ride the waves of nostalgia that come with reprising their roles — in addition to Reeser, Reinhold, and Ashton, Bronson Pinchot comes in as Serge, the artsy guy with a completely unidentifiable accent — the newly added cast Beverly Hills Cop The cast fits so seamlessly into the universe and delivers strong performances. This includes Peggy as well as Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a Beverly Hills officer who works closely with Murphy; Kevin Bacon as a member of the force who exudes extreme sleaziness; and Luis Guzman in a brilliant cameo as a drug dealer whose facial hair is a bright shade of blue. The way he lets the line “I’m layered and I’m complicated” drip slowly off the end of his tongue is worthy of a standing ovation, even if you’re watching alone in your living room.

In his feature directorial debut, Mark Malloy keeps things moving at the right pace and shows a commitment to a car chase that actually destroys an absurd number of motor vehicles, a throwback to the 80s and 90s films that launched the series in the first place. He hasn’t done anything particularly revolutionary as a filmmaker, but still, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F It’s clearly not trying to break new ground. It’s a remake that’s better than a lot of what Hollywood feeds our students, and it’s another entertaining adult action-comedy, a summer that has already given us two things: The Fall Guy And HitmanAnother Netflix joint. You can justifiably complain about its flaws, or you can accept them, relax, and groove to its recycled rhythms.

As Taggart says in another completely apocryphal line: “Jesus Christ, some things never change.” Axel F Netflix doesn’t want that, and this movie plays on the fact that Netflix customers don’t want that either.