Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills after his daughter’s life’s threatened. Includes old pals John Taggart and Billy Rosewood working to uncover a conspiracy.
Is another sequel worth the time to make if the last film in the franchise was over 30 years ago? Well that depends, but overall of course, especially if the series was cherished by fans. However, there was something about the marketing for this fourth installment that screamed of desperation. Fortunately, this time around the creative team was able to craft something together that’s worth the audience’s energy. This may not be the best film in the franchise, but it was nice to see old characters returning from the past, as they run the streets of Beverly Hills giving it their all to police their beloved city.
Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is back again in both Detroit and Beverly Hills causing a huge mess of things with barely any remorse. The original trilogy was known for its comedic aspects and action, which were standouts, but this chapter the latter takes a back seat most likely due to the titular character’s age. On a positive note, that doesn’t dilute the film’s quality in the slightest. While the action scenes were brief, being only two, Eddie Murphy’s character has enough charm and wit to keep you entertained for the whole duration. The way his character Axel Foley commands the room as he enters with such confidence, freestyling every move with improvisation, steals the show repeatedly. Not too many people can burst into a room with henchman ready to shoot anyone in an instant and come across so relaxed, cool, calm, and collected as if they’re supposed to be there. That’s the Axel Foley fans of the series know and love, and his character doesn’t miss a beat. In general, it’s always fun to see Eddie Murphy pop up in films, and even though he’s aged a ton, he doesn’t let it show on screen and uses all of his strengths to his advantage, which makes this another entertaining feature to enjoy at home on Netflix.
That still doesn’t mean the film is without any flaws. The movie is wildly predictable. Early on when the so-called villain shows themselves, it’s so blatantly obvious that they’re the antagonist pretending not to be. However, to give the film credit, it’s very self-aware of this revelation, and it is addressed immediately afterwards through a few lines of dialogue. The antagonist’s arc is extremely weak and not thought through, and it is a shame because it started out at the very least passable. Though towards the end of the film their involvement started to become cartoonish and gave very small amounts of effort to at least make their plot points make logical sense. You’ll be stuck asking yourself, “Seriously, how in the world did you expect to succeed in this ridiculous plan of yours?” Again, not much thought was put into the ending.
Though there’s still much to enjoy. In this part four, Axel Foley has a daughter named Jane (Taylour Paige). She’s enjoyable more often than not, but does have a few eye roll moments that may make your head hurt. She’s very emotional, but has a good reason to be. I enjoyed the relationship dynamic that she had with Axel, and it came across extremely realistic. I’m sure there are a great amount of audience members out there who will be able to relate to her misfortunes growing up in life. We also have Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is another new addition to this franchise. He served his part well, mixing in with everyone else seamlessly. He even had a moment to shine with his weapon as an officer, and while brief it was a small highlight in the film. We also can’t forget about John Taggart (John Ashton) and Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), whether on purpose or by accident they’re hilarious. It was very satisfying seeing these two return, and it’s as if they never left. The relationship they have with Axel was pure and true, honestly feeling as if they’re real friends who haven’t seen each other in ages. It was a true bond when they reunited, and no awkwardness was in sight as they embraced each other. It all felt as natural as it should feel.
Unfortunately, switching back to a couple of negative mishaps. The first action scene was delightful. It actually felt like there were stakes and our heroes were in danger. The second action scene was utterly ridiculous and just covered with plot armor. I want the good guys to win, but this was clearly setup for them to triumph as if they were all invincible. It was like they were immune to dying and had invisible angels surrounding them from an onslaught of bullets. In short, they should’ve died, 10 times each at least, but they’re the good guys so I guess that’s against the rules. The plot towards the beginning of the film felt a bit forced too. There needed to be a reason why Axel took a trip to Beverly Hills from Detroit, which did make perfect sense. However, the reason he ended up on the Beverly Hills Police Department’s bad radar initially could’ve used a more intelligent story-telling device.
Even with those mishaps the film was still a fun ride. Earlier it was mentioned that this is not the best in the franchise, but it’s still better than part three where Axel Foley used a gun with a microwave attached to it. Whoever thought of that just didn’t care. The first two films were classics, yet this fourth film is decent for streaming at home. You may not want to go to the theater if that was an option, or at least most fans wouldn’t want to in my opinion. What makes this film great is Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley and his interactions with all of the characters. That by far is the best part of this latest chapter. The nostalgic scored music of the film, with the classic theme song, also helped. It played constantly throughout the film, and each time with a different tone and set of instruments, which was so familiar while simultaneously feeling new. I enjoyed myself and had a great time, even if some of the plot points didn’t make sense. It was the characters for me, and it also helped that my expectations were low. If you have the same mindset, you may be smiling as well as soon as the credits hit.
Video Review:
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Official Trailer:
