‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ a surprisingly fun blast from the past starring Eddie Murphy

“Axel F” is probably one of those movies that deserves a little context before discussing.

That’s not to suggest the plot of Netflix’s 40-years-later “Beverly Hills Cop” sequel is deep, dense or otherwise in need of explanation.

It’s not. If anything, those acquainted with the buddy-cop action-comedy formula of the 1980s will likely find director Mark Molloy’s debut feature extremely familiar and fairly predictable.

But for those who might know Eddie Murphy solely as the voice of Donkey in the “Shrek” movies, it might be useful to recognize just what a pop-culture phenomenon 1984’s first “Beverly Hills Cop” was.

Boasting what would become an Oscar-nominated screenplay and a Grammy-winning soundtrack, it would go on to become the highest-grossing film of the year, outearning “Ghostbusters,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” “Gremlins” and “The Karate Kid.”

(A mid-1985 re-release of “Ghostbusters” would propel it past “Cop” in total box office, but such asterisk-worthy achievements are always open to question.)

For all it had going for it, though, the real secret behind the success of that original “Beverly Hills Cop” was the presence of Eddie.

Having already rocketed to stardom as a cast member of “Saturday Night Live,” and fresh off the wild success of his Grammy-winning “Delirious” stand-up special, he was at that moment in time at the peak of his potency.

Armed with his megawatt charm, impeccable timing and that impossible-to-resist hee-haw laugh, he would go on to influence, and indeed define, stand-up comedy for a generation, like Richard Pryor minus the tragedy.

It all came together with near-perfection in “Beverly Hills Cop.” Watching Eddie as the loose-cannon, fast-talking Detroit cop Axel Foley was — and still is — to witness an actor in total control both of his craft and of the screen.

It was in many ways an impossible movie to live up to. Which is why 1987’s “Beverly Hills Cop II” couldn’t.

More remake than sequel, it played it safe by recycling the same script. The result was a capably made shrug that lacked the freshness and surprise of that initial romp.

An even less inspired third installment flopped in 1994, and deservedly so.

Which brings us, at last, to Molloy’s surprisingly enjoyable “Axel F,” which, as a low-stakes summertime diversion, scratches an itch I didn’t even realize was there.

Granted, it succeeds more as a nostalgia play than as one more failed effort to recapture lightning in a bottle — but that might’ve been the smartest move here.

Honestly, the plot isn’t even that important, although for the record it once more sees Axel trade Detroit for Beverly Hills and a fish-out-of-water investigation.

Also once more, it starts with a pull-out-the-stops chase sequence in which Axel breaks every rule in the book — but, of course, gets his man. In short order, he’s lured westward to crack a case, this time one imperiling his adult daughter (Taylour Paige) and old buddy Billy Rosewood (series veteran Judge Reinhold).

The narrative that follows, which includes a friendly Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a villainous Kevin Bacon, hits all the expected beats. But what keeps the film afloat isn’t so much its by-the-numbers story as it is its unabashed celebration of the franchise’s past glory.

In addition to Reinhold’s return, we get Paul Reiser as Jeffrey, John Ashton as Taggart and Bronson Pinchot as Serge.

We also get Glenn Frey’s “The Heat is On” from the “Beverly Hills Cop” soundtrack and Bob Seger’s “Shakedown” from “Beverly Hills Cop II.” There are callbacks to the Pointer Sisters — who also notably contributed music to the original — and Rosewood’s obsession with Sylvester Stallone.

Prior knowledge of such inside jokes isn’t necessary to enjoy “Axel F,” but it does enrich it, making it feel that much more like a visit with old friends.

It is, in short, a fun, diverting ride — which, come to think of it, probably doesn’t really need context at all.

Mike Scott can be reached at moviegoermike@gmail.com.

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BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F

2.5 stars, out of 4

CAST: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kevin Bacon, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot.

DIRECTOR: Mark Molloy.

RATED: R

RUNNING TIME: 1 hour 55 minutes.

WHEN AND WHERE: Now streaming on Netflix.