Beverly Hills Cop 3 is definitely the bastard lovechild of Eddie Murphy's stellar franchise. So why is it so hated? And why do I like it so?
The answer to both questions is 'John Landis', the director of BHC3 as well as Murphy collabrator on classics Coming To America and Trading Places. Thing is, the Beverly Hills Cop movies are basically straight cop thrillers with some amusing banter thrown into the mix. They're modern action thrillers with a contemorary music video sheen (especially after the zazzle of Tony Scott's first sequel).
It's this loss of the MTV vibe which makes it so unappealing to so many. The plot is as predictable and stale as you can possibly imagine and it just isn't Landis's style to edit his footage or film his action with any sense of urgency.
BUT, what you do get is the Landis trademark goofiness. Loony Tunesesque mascot costumes, exaggerated slapstick, pratfalls, comedy turns to camera and surreal musical moments...all of which make this very watchable indeed. It may fail as a thriller. It mostly sucks as an action film. And it barely counts as a Beverly Hills Cop movie. But is is a frequently amusing comedy. This is still better than 90% of the movies Murphy has starred in in the last 10 years.
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