Beverly Hills Cop II might a shell of the original but still holds some fun entertainment value with Eddie Murphy taking more control over not only the character but behind-the-scenes as well.
Beverly Hills Cop II
(1987)
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, Crime
Paramount | R – 102 min. – $25.99 | May 17, 2022
Date Published: 05/11/2022 | Author: The Movieman
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Paramount provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post.
The opinions I share are my own.
THE MOVIE — 3½/5 |
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Plot Synopsis: The hard-nosed Detroit cop, Axel Foley (EDDIE MURPHY), returns to Los Angeles to help solve another case. This time he must direct his efforts towards unraveling the Alphabet Crimes, a series of robberies committed by leather-jacketed punks. The investigation puts him on the trail of an illegal arms dealer (JURGEN PROCHNOW) and his hit lady (BRIGITTE NIELSEN). Quick Hit Review: This sequel to an action-comedy classic was passably entertaining, though at times Eddie Murphy seemed to be doing some stand-up routines during the comedic parts, yet I did like seeing Murphy back together with Judge Reinhold and John Ashton even when the plot was a bit weak, not to mention a generic and bland villain, though Brigitte Nielsen at least was memorable… This sequel was directed by the late and oft great Tony Scott with star Eddie Murphy taking a more hands-on role not only headlining but took part in the story and his production company was also involved. |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 0/5 |
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This release comes with a glossy slip cover and inside a redemption code for the Digital HD copy. Unfortunately, this has zero features. |
VIDEO – 4¾/5 |
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Beverly Hills Cop II marks its debut on 4K Ultra HD, following the release of its predecessor back in November 2020, and is shown in the original theatrical 2.35 widescreen aspect ratio and has been given a 2160p high-definition transfer. There’s no mention on the back cover if there was any restoration work but I assume there wasn’t (and perhaps none was necessary). Even so, this one looks good in 4K, detail is sharp and relatively well defined with colors (aided somewhat by the HDR) being on the darker side, something I’ve noticed with some of Tony Scott’s earlier works before he went the oversaturated route later in his career. Still, the natural film grain has been retained and I didn’t notice any obvious signs of dust marks, scratches or other flaws (though I don’t believe there was in the Blu-ray release either). |
AUDIO – 4¾/5 |
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Presumably the included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that was on the Beverly Hills Cop Trilogy set released in early 2020. Even so, the soundtrack is blazing albeit not as good as the first, though “Shakedown” (playing over the credits) has a catchy beat. Beyond that the action provides the bulk of the usage from the front and rear channels with an extra kick by the LFE channel. |
OVERALL — 3¼/5 |
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Overall, Beverly Hills Cop II might a shell of the original but still holds some fun entertainment value with Eddie Murphy taking more control over not only the character but behind-the-scenes as well. Now this 4K Ultra HD release is weak with absolutely zero bonus features. |