This year marks the 40th anniversary of Detroit Detective Axel Foley's first adventure to Beverly Hills.  He's back once again, this time to help his public defender daughter who has stumbled into a conspiracy involving dirty cops.  Is this enough of a reason for Beverly Hills Cop:  Axel F (out now on Netflix) to exist, or is the fourth installment in this franchise just a 1980's nostalgia trip?  Let's discuss.

It's business as usual right from the start of the film.  Axel interrupts an armed robbery at a Detroit Red Wings game, while Glenn Frey's "The Heat is On" returns for another appearance on the soundtrack.  That immediately feels like a warning sign that this movie plans to push the memory of the first film down our throats.  That conviction deepens when Bob Seger's "Shakedown," and the Pointer Sisters' "Neutron Dance" also play later.  Of course the iconic "Axel F" instrumental fits into every corner of the movie, but you knew that was coming.

We have a reunion of all of the primary characters.  In addition to Murphy, we get the returns of Paul Reiser, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, and even Bronson Pinchot.  The newcomers include Taylour Paige as Axel's estranged daughter Jane, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Beverly Hills Detective Bobby Abbott, and Kevin Bacon as Captain Cade Grant.  All of the originals understand their assignments and give familiar performances, although Bronson Pinchot's Serge is even more cartoonish than he was in 1984, which is saying a lot.

Paige has potential as Jane, but she doesn't have enough to do, besides nod at/argue with her dad, for most of the movie.  Gordon-Levitt is fine, but Detective Abbott is also underdeveloped and has a case of "resting sad face" in most scenes.  Bacon's Grant is pretty generic, and the actor can't seem to do much to elevate his interest level.

The most surprising thing about this movie is that it's much more of an action film than a comedy.  That feels like a misfire.  All of the sequences are okay in a vacuum.  However, viewers are tuning in to see Eddie Murphy crack jokes, not spend most of the one hour and 57 minutes fighting the bad guys, or talking through his issues with his daughter.   Murphy makes a comment in one scene about being "too tired" to attempt another fake character, and you wonder if he was really talking about the whole movie. 

(Also, the running time could easily have been cut by about 20 minutes.  Close to half of that could have been taken from the helicopter scene featured so prominently in the trailer.)

Beverly Hills Cop:  Axel F isn't a "bad" movie.  It's perfect for Netflix in the summer.  You microwave some popcorn, make sure the fan or A/C is going, fire up the TV, and see what happens.  If you like it, terrific.  If you decide it's not for you, then you can change the channel without regret, happy that you didn't spend too much time/effort on this nostalgia-fueled story. 

No one "needs" to see this movie, but sometimes you want something mindless to help pass the time for a little while.  If that's the case, Eddie Murphy and company have you covered.

Final Grade:  B-

Here we go again.  (pic via facebook.com)