It's been 30 years since Eddie Murphy last portrayed the swaggering, smack-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley, the iconic fish out of water in Los Angeles, in "Beverly Hills Cop 3." Even Murphy called that sequel "atrocious." So, is anyone excited for Part 4, titled "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"? It's skipping theaters, which is rarely a good sign, and heading straight to Netflix on July 3.


Murphy, now 63, is a well-established movie star with nothing left to prove. The first "Beverly Hills Cop" in 1984 catapulted him to stardom as a young, boundary-pushing comic innovator. Despite its R rating, "Axel F" opts for nostalgia over the raw energy of its predecessors. There's no crime in that, but no glory either. Murphy seems comfortable with this, showing genuine affection for the series that harnessed his dynamic energy into a successful cop action formula. While the magic of the first two films may be gone, the fond memories linger, and that might just be enough.


We catch up with Axel as his Detroit PD boss, played by Paul Reiser, plans to retire. Axel, now a lieutenant but still running and gunning, is chasing a bad guy through downtown traffic in a spectacular scene of vehicular destruction. Hearing the original "Cop" theme during this chaos is a major bonus. Axel heads to L.A. when his ex-partner, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), informs him that his estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige), a glamorous Beverly Hills attorney, was nearly killed by a drug cartel for defending a client they want dead. Enter another series veteran, John Ashton as BHPD honcho John Taggart. Seeing Murphy, Reinhold, and Ashton together again is great fan service. Though they've all thickened around the middle, their comic timing remains sharp. Debuting director Mark Molloy wisely gave them plenty of room to improvise, compensating for a lackluster script.


Among the newcomers, Taylour Paige (notable for her role in "Zola") shines as Jane, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is appealing as Detective Bobby Abbott, Jane's ex-boyfriend who still loves her and becomes Axel's new partner. Kevin Bacon oozes sleaze as Captain Cade Grant, a corrupt top cop. While Axel's transformation into a devoted father who must finally accept responsibility for his 32-year-old daughter is a new twist, the film mainly juggles clichés, including chases on foot, in cars, and a thrilling helicopter sequence shot without CGI.


Murphy's once lewd, confident grin has been domesticated, reflecting our risk-averse times. This is "Beverly Hills Cop: The AARP Version." Murphy's strongest screen role remains in 2006's "Dreamgirls," where he earned his first and only Oscar nomination. In "Axel F," we see a mellow Axel, a father restored to his daughter's love.


The fun and ferocious Axel Foley that Murphy first brought to life in 1984 is gone, replaced by a memory trying to pass as the genuine article. That may not be enough for everyone, but for old time's sake, it works like a charm.