Axel F leans hard (and I mean HARD) into the nostalgia. Everything from the songs from the original soundtrack to reference to scenes from the first movie to cameos from your favourite characters scream "we're doing this again" to fans of the original. It ends up being a fairly solid action comedy and fans of the 80s classic will likely love it. I'm not sure it will do much to win over newer generations.
Murphy is funny... enough. The plot is entertaining... enough. Everything about Axel F is just enough that it can be enjoyable but for all it's attempts to recapture lightning in a bottle it never captures the zeitgeist that was this phenom. To be fair the original film with its typical 80s faults didn't age super well and Axel F, which attempts to drop most of what didn't age while still holding onto what did, ends up being good... enough.
I do think that they pulled it off for fans who wanted another visit to this character and world and that in itself is an achievement because it would have been easy for this to be a big stinker, which it isn't. It offers a nice little walk down memory lane, even if it is wearing rose coloured glasses.
So if you are a fan of Murphy or this franchise then rest assured you'll enjoy this. Otherwise, you can take it or leave it knowing you won't hate it but also likely aren't missing anything if you're not chomping at the bit for it.
Beverly Hills Copy Axel F
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Luis Guzmán, Christopher McDonald
Director: Mark Molloy
Writers: Will Beall, Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten
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