Beverly Hills Cops: Axel F (2024) - Review

Axel Foley is back! And, of course, he has a reason to head back to Beverly Hills. This is fortunate, as Beverly Hills seems to be the place where he solves the most crimes. This time, he’s needed to protect his estranged daughter after her life is threatened. It’s been 30 years and Beverly Hills has changed, but it is the same Axel, albeit maybe a little older.

Axel F leans heavily on nostalgia. It wants you to remember the previous movies. Well, maybe not the third, but certainly the first two. The opening scene, a closer look at the day to day of Detroit, is a close copy of the opening of Beverly Hills Cop, complete with ‘The Heat is On’ playing. And the first chase scene harkens back to the first movie as well, with a truck racing through the streets of Detroit causing an enormous amount of damage, all to the sounds of ‘Shakedown’ (which is from the sequel – but don’t worry Pointer Sisters fans as ‘Neutron Dance’ shows up a little later). The movie never goes very long without trying to remind you of the other movies.

And the old cast of characters is back too. Jeffery somehow became Deputy Chief in Detroit. Billy left the force to become a PI, while Taggart also somehow became a chief. Wisely, they play more minor supporting roles and are there mainly to amp up the nostalgia. Even Serge, still not able to pronounce anyone’s name, is back in the movie’s most obvious attempt to shoehorn old characters into a new plot. No offence to Bronson Pinchot, but he really isn’t needed here; that schtick had already played itself out. I’m all for nostalgia, but I have my limits. But all this would be fine, if the story were more interesting. Unfortunately, other than ties to the previous movies, there’s not a lot here.

The best part of the movie, as with all the others, is Eddie Murphy. He’s not the same but does shows flashes of what made him brilliant in the role. When he’s able to conjure up the fast-talking, conman persona, you can’t help but smile. I wish they’d done more with the relationship with his daughter though. She’s the main side character, and there is some potential there, with her even showing signs that she’s picked up a little charm from the old man. I could have used a little more banter, but the story chooses to mainly keep her hurt and angry, with everything playing out exactly as you would expect. In fact, it’s the story that truly lets the movie down. It’s all paint by numbers. Nostalgia is nice but would have preferred if it were downplayed a little and had the story take some chances. But I guess nostalgia sells.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F offers more of the same to the series, despite the addition of a grown daughter. It’s a new(ish) story but is mainly just looking to replicate what has been done before. It’s like your favourite band releasing a greatest hits album that has a couple new songs. You’ve heard most of it already, but the new songs pique your interest, and while not capturing the original magic, aren’t too bad. And so, you have Axel F. It’s all very familiar, but there’s just enough new to make it worth watching. Naturally, it doesn’t come anywhere near the original film, but it is a lot better than Beverly Hills Cop 3. This won’t earn any new fans, but I do recommend it if you’ve been a fan of the franchise. The nostalgia and flashes of Eddie Murphy at his best may be enough to keep you happy. Just make sure you keep your expectations realistic. Despite the nostalgic reminders, it ain’t 1984 anymore.

Have you seen Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F? Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.