Pun Salad

Yes, it probably is a cold-hearted attempt to grab my eyeballs, thanks to my (whoa!) 40-year-old fond memories of the original movie. Returning: Eddie Murphy, of course. But also: Bronson Pinchot, John Ashton, Judge Reinhold, even Paul Reiser. And also Kevin Bacon, who might as well be wearing a sign saying "BAD GUY" in his first scene. And Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a major role! And the great Luis Guzmán in a minor role!

I don't want to take this too seriously, but Axel is up to his old loose-cannon tricks, not playing by the rules, giving his superiors headaches, putting his friends into mortal danger, and every other cliché you can think of. After an initial action scene where a robbery of the Detroit Red Wings hockey arena is foiled, Axel heads out to Beverly Hills, where his estranged daughter is a defense attorney handling the case of an alleged cop-killer. She's doing too good a job of that, putting her in the sights of, yes, Kevin Bacon. Will Axel save her, and also defeat the bad guys? Do you even have to ask?

It was fun, seeing how the old-timers are, or are not, well-preserved. It's forgettable fun, though.