As a ’90s kid, Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F stirred nostalgia for an action-packed era I’d never experienced before
New Netflix Movie Beverly Hills agent: Axel F. sees Eddie Murphy reprise his iconic role as misfit cop Axel Foley, who returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter Jane’s (Taylour Paige) life is put in danger. Like his predecessors, Beverly Hills agent: Axel F. begins in Detroit, Axel’s hometown, and it’s not long before he’s up to his old mischievous tricks. It’s clear that 30 years later, not much has changed for the lively detective as he gets involved in shootouts, car chases and police chases.
In addition to a classical soundtrack featuring the theme tune Axel F by Harold Faltermeyer who everyone remembers to this day, Beverly Hills agent: Axel F. Director Mark Molloy brought back several members of the original cast to capture even more of the sequel’s magic, including John Ashton as Taggart, Judge Reinhold as Rosewood, Paul Reiser as Jeffrey and Bronson Pinchot as Serge, who teams up with Axel to uncover a drug plot.
Of course, with a new reboot comes new characters to bring in a new audience to the ’80s cult classic. Paige stars as Axel’s estranged daughter Jane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 days of Summer) plays Axel’s new Beverly Hills Police Department liaison Bobby Abbott and Kevin Bacon joins the cast as Captain Grant. In Beverly Hills agent: Axel F, It’s not just the cops and the bad guys that lure Axel back to Beverly Hills, but also the chance to make amends with Jane and build a relationship outside of work.
Hot Shot Cop Isn’t a Flop – Even If You Haven’t Seen the Original Films
As someone who has never seen the successful 80s blockbuster franchise Beverly Hills agent, I had no idea what to expect from the fourth part, Beverly Hills Agent: Axel F. Sure, I’d heard of the iconic action comedy, but in an age of reboots and remakes, I often find myself asking myself whether I really need to have seen the previous film to understand the new one – and in this case, it certainly would have helped. But that didn’t distract me from experiencing the completely crazy, fun action sequences that everyone clearly loved in the 80s and that somehow made me nostalgic for an era I didn’t even live through.
I also didn’t realize how much of a cultural phenomenon it was Beverly Hills Agent was when it was first released. The blockbuster is a pioneer of the American buddy cop genre, with the first film becoming the seventh highest-grossing film of the year and being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1985. Two sequels were later born with the 1987 film Beverly Hills Police Officer II and 1994 Beverly Hills Agent III. The original film was such a success that the theme song Axel F reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US and became an internet meme years later when Crazy Frog covered it in 2005 (I’m sad to admit, it was the cover I immediately recognized when I watched the film).
Reboots and remakes are a hot topic among moviegoers, with Hollywood often facing resistance when a film is merely a rehash of another old film. Cult classics and multi-million dollar franchises often fall victim to the reboot treatment with A Nightmare on Elm Street, Charlie’s Angels, Ghostbusters, Fantastic Four And Oldie all ended up on the long list of failed reboots.
But when Beverly Hills agent: Axel F. Director Mark Molloy took on the challenge of making the fourth film in the franchise. He wanted to bring back the qualities that everyone loves about the 80s classic, such as (of course) Eddie Murphy, the original cast, the stylish Beverly Hills residents, a popular soundtrack and the exciting action that were characteristic of the buddy cop films of the 80s.
As I said before, I’ve never seen the original trilogy, so the legacy of the beloved characters may have escaped me a little. However, their hilarious banter and snappy dialogue can be appreciated by everyone, regardless of whether you’ve seen the previous films or not. The same goes for the wacky action scenes and Axel’s outrageous humor, which kept me laughing out loud for the entire 115-minute runtime. Although, if you’re like me and haven’t watched the original film yet Beverly Hills Agent In movies, you probably won’t recognize all the recreated scenes, but you’ll still enjoy them the first time you see them, even if you’re not familiar with the source material.
The star of the show is Murphy, who is a crowd pleaser in every role he plays, so you are guaranteed a rollercoaster ride of entertainment. Beverly Hills agent: Axel F. definitely feels like the start of a new series of films that will herald a new era for Axel and hopefully it turns out to be better than the dead and buried Beverly Hill Agent IIIwhich received a meager 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, missing out on our list of the best Netflix movies.
