Summary

• Beverly Hills Cop III was a disappointment compared to the first two films, lacking the winning formula and humor.
• The absence of an integral cast member, John Ashton, changed the dynamic and removed the main source of tension.
• Beverly Hills Cop III tried to be more kid-friendly, but it felt inconsistent and out of place in the R-rated franchise.

The Beverly Hills Cop franchise is considered a staple among cinephiles, especially for those who love 1980s police fare. Starring Eddie Murphy at the height of his initial popularity, the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies in the series were lauded for combining the era's pop culture tropes and humorous antics. Unfortunately, the third entry wasn't nearly as well-received, even among Murphy's more ardent fans.

Beverly Hills Cop III is largely seen as a major disappointment, especially considering the heights of its predecessors. Released during a low point in Eddie Murphy's cinematic output, the movie was both too similar to the first two and far too different. This manifested in several ill-fitting decisions, including an arguably more kid-friendly tone. With excitement for the franchise returning thanks to the upcoming Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the distaste for the series' third movie is more apparent than ever.

Updated by Jordan Iacobucci on May 6, 2024: With Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F only a few months away, fans are looking back at the original trilogy. The Eddie Murphy-led franchise was hailed for its comedic prowess, though the third and final installment was far less so than its predecessors. Why was the third Beverly Hills Cop film so poorly received and what does it mean for the upcoming sequel?

Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 are Classic Eddie Murphy Movies

Beginning in the early 1980s, the Beverly Hills Cop franchise was the first major breakthrough for Eddie Murphy on the big screen and the introduction of his classic character, Axel Foley. Formerly known for his stand-up comedy shows, Murphy became an international superstar thanks to the success of the first Beverly Hills Cop. The movies showcased his humorous and gregarious nature, but they also showed that he had the potential to do more serious things when needed. After all, the first movie's plot involved Foley's friend Mikey being killed by a corrupt art dealer, with only the initially Detroit-based Foley being interested in solving the case.

Beverly Hills Cop II wasn't quite as successful or well-received, but it's still a worthy follow-up to the first movie. It still had the winning formula of rising action amid comedic events surrounding a criminal case. It helped that, for the most part, Axel Foley's humor came through his charm. It wasn't merely a case of Eddie Murphy doing funny bits because he was a stand-up comedian, and the jokes are a lot stronger because of this. Nevertheless, Beverly Hills Cop II was disappointing because it mostly rehashed the events and storylines of the original film without treading any meaningful new ground. Unfortunately, the downward trend in quality set by the second movie only got worse with the Beverly Hills Cop series' next entry.

Beverly Hills Cop III Lacked an Integral Cast Member

• Detective John Taggart is expected to return in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, with John Ashton reprising his role from the original two films.

Beverly Hills Cop III was released around a decade after the original, and this timing paved the way for a true return to form. Unfortunately, that wasn't what moviegoers got, with Beverly Hills Cop III being the worst-reviewed part of what was until now a trilogy. Part of what was missing was a key cast member, who was integral to keeping Axel Foley on the straight and narrow in the previous movies.

In the first two Beverly Hills Cop movies, actor John Ashton portrayed Detective John Taggart. Taggart was the exact opposite of the freewheeling, self-aggrandizing Axel Foley, a by-the-books stick-in-the-mud known for following the rules to a T. Though he and (to a lesser extent) his partner Billy Rosewood -- played by Judge Reinhold -- don't get along with Foley at first, they eventually become his staunchest allies. Taggart was also key to making the humor work, as he and Lieutenant Andrew Bogomil both have a seriousness that bounces against the zaniness of Foley. Conversely, Billy Rosewood largely goes along with Foley (if sometimes begrudgingly), making him a humorously happy medium. His presence became an important balance to Eddie Murphy's larger-than-life Axel Foley, keeping the film from going off the rails with its humor and hijinx.

Taggart wasn't in Beverly Hills Cop III, though the original plan was for the character to return for the sequel. While the cast and crew of the film have not been exceptionally forthcoming about the changes that took place during pre-production, it is believed that John Ashton had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts created by its multiple delays. As a result, Beverly Hills Cop III dismisses Taggart's absence by explaining that he has retired and moved to Phoenix. As a result, the movie lacked the push-and-pull that he and Foley provided for each other, meaning that Eddie Murphy's character essentially ran wild without being contested. Billy was in the movie, but as usual, he and Axel got along just fine. Thus, this lack of a character to really rub up against removed the main source of tension from the series. This absence of stakes manifested in another key way that brought down the quality of the third Beverly Hills Cop.

Beverly Hills Cop III Made the Series Too Kid-Friendly

One major complaint about Beverly Hills Cop III is the tonal inconsistency of the movie. Many fans felt that it tried to make the series kid-friendly and this is mainly seen in the setting. The main premise of the third movie involves a theme park named Wonder World, with the park and its characters being the creations of "Uncle Dave." The similarities between this character, his park to Walt Disney and Disneyland are obvious, and it doesn't feel organic with the rest of the series. Worst of all is a sequence in which Axel Foley disguises himself as the elephant mascot, Oki Doki, with a child asking him to do the "Oki Doki Shuffle." This sequence is the perfect example of Beverly Hills Cop III's decline in quality, prioritizing childish gimmicks over actually well-constructed humor.

It all felt more in line with the kind of kids' movies Eddie Murphy became known for in the 2000s. The scenes also seemed reminiscent of movies such as RoboCop 3, which notably watered down the violent original material to be more "family-friendly." What makes this most jarring, however, is that Beverly Hills Cop III was still rated R. Thus, the seeming attempt to make the series more in line with PG-13 blockbusters felt particularly inorganic. Even the music reflected this, with the once cool soundtrack piece "Axel Foley," the franchise's synth theme, remixed to sound more "heroic." It comes off as a cartoonish leitmotif, which segues into the issues with how the movie handles the series' hero.

Beverly Hills Cop III Ruined Axel Foley

In the first two movies, Axel Foley was a cool, if smarmy, detective who put bananas up tailpipes first and asked questions later. He's a lot different in the third movie, which arguably makes sense given the passage of time. Still, these changes come off as hollow, mainly because of how the movie is structured. While Beverly Hills Cop I and II were action comedies, they focused mainly on the investigations, with the action being relegated mainly to fairly grounded shootouts. For as over-the-top as Beverly Hills Cop II got at times, it was still far from the most grandiose action movie of the era. With Beverly Hills Cop III, there's too much of an attempt to make him into an action hero in the Sylvester Stallone mold.

Of course, Murphy was mainly a comedic actor, and these action scenes contained none of the proverbial panache or musclebound moxie of Stallone's projects. Instead, much like the Wonder World setting, it came off as a live-action cartoon, and not in a flattering way. Likewise, without Taggart or even his cantankerous boss, Douglas Todd, to berate or challenge him, Foley devolves into a series of bits and comedic sequences that take away from the movie. His age doesn't make him wiser, and it should have logically seen him questioning his ability to "do it like he used to." Rather than developing Axel Foley into a character with a legitimate arc and learning curve, Beverly Hills Cop III has its protagonist relapse into his old ways, seemingly forgetting everything he learned. Completely rewriting the protagonist is perhaps the biggest sin of the third Beverly Hills Cop movie, with fans and critics not being the only ones who felt this way.

Even Eddie Murphy Didn’t Like Beverly Hills Cop III

Eddie Murphy is himself one of the biggest critics of Beverly Hills Cop III, with the actor routinely describing the movie as "garbage." This was despite his initial views on the project, where he described it as a marked improvement over its predecessor. Needless to say, time has not been kind to the movie, especially with those who were involved in making it. Even director John Landis wasn't thrilled with the script or the finished result.

Thus, Beverly Hills Cop III joined a growing list of moderate to major disappointments involving Murphy, and it's no wonder he's taken so long to return to his Axel Foley role. Eddie Murphy's star had fallen a bit due to the projects he was a part of in the late 1980s. These included a letdown of a sequel in the form of Another 48 Hrs. and the political satire The Distinguished Gentleman. Likewise, even Boomerang and Harlem Nights- now seen as classics- weren't the major hits that some expected them to become. Thus, Beverly Hills Cop III was seen as a veritable sure thing in terms of kicking the actor's career back into high gear.

Sadly, that wasn't the case at all, and the disappointing nature of the movie put the franchise on ice for decades. Now, 40 years after the original movie, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F's mere existence hints that the franchise may be on the verge of getting back on track. Eddie Murphy's comments about the disappointment of the third film suggest that he would not sign on to do an additional sequel if it didn't live up to fan expectations.

The upcoming Netflix movie will depict an aged Axel Foley, giving the character a chance to, at last, show how he has matured and grown over the last four decades. This is the perfect opportunity to undo the harm done by Beverly Hills Cop III, presenting a more mature Axel Foley without compromising the humorous nature that made viewers fall in love with him in the first place. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F hopes to offer a more satisfying conclusion, erasing the memory of the third movie with the finesse of an Oki Doki Shuffle.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F hits Netflix in July.