“The best Beverly Hills Cop since the first one.”

Dir: Mark Molloy
Prod: Jerry Bruckheimer, Chad Oman, Lorenzo DiBonaventura, Eddie Murphy
Writ: Will Beall, Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten, Daniel Petrie Jr, Danilo Bach
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton

If you’re an ‘80s, ‘90s, or early 2000s kid, you’re probably very familiar with the “Axel F” music. But did you know it’s actually the theme song for a movie called Beverly Hills Cop? That movie is the definition of an ’80s action film. It made Eddie Murphy a star, as we know him, and became one of the highest-grossing R-rated movies of the 1980s.

Now, 40 years after the first one and 30 years after the disappointing third installment, Eddie Murphy is back as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. This time, the movie is being released on Netflix. It’s a shame it wasn’t released in theaters because this movie definitely deserved that kind of release.

For the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, you know what to expect: a corrupt cop, cartels, cop killers something like that. But what makes it entertaining is Eddie Murphy’s performance, and Kevin Bacon as a villain. Well, it’s pretty predictable if you have Kevin Bacon in a movie, you’re probably going to cast him as the villain. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton also return, with Ashton continuing to bring life to his great character, Taggart.

The action sequences in the movie feel safe, and that’s fine because the movie itself, much like the first one, is kind of a cliché action film. That’s okay. If there’s one flaw in this movie, it’s that the music choices are a bit odd. I love Lorne Balfe, but he wasn’t the right choice for this kind of movie. The second act is a little boring, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, while I love him, seems a bit confused in this film.

Overall, if you were disappointed by Beverly Hills Cop III, this is an improvement. But compared to the first film, it’s unlikely to be considered a classic in the future. My rating: B.