Movie anniversaries are a great reminder of just how old we’re getting. Years will go by that we don’t necessarily feel physically or mentally, and then we find out that one of our favourite movies is celebrating its 20th or 30th anniversary and we pause because it feels like just yesterday when we saw it on the big screen. How could so many years have just blipped by? To help ease the sting of this mortality reminder is the fact that we’re often gifted anniversary editions – or even fully remastered editions of films from years past that have hit a celebratory milestone. Today that honour goes to Beverly Hills Cop 2, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a full 4K remastering.
Beverly Hills Cop 2 is the aptly titled sequel to Beverly Hills Cop, coming out three years after its predecessor. While it didn’t surpass the first film at the box office, the film was a financial success and would spawn a third film seven years later. The story brings Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) back into the mix when Captain Bogomil (Ronny Cox) is shot by a gun-running crew pulling various heists. Foley ups and abandons his undercover work in Detroit and heads back to Beverly Hills to reunite with Detectives Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to track down the shooters and bring the gang to justice.
The story is simple, but it works and the late Tony Scott being behind the camera elevates the action up a notch. Speaking of up a notch, let’s delve right into the 4K upgrading, as the movie looks phenomenal. Two years ago Beverly Hills Cop received the 4K treatment, and its sequels were given fresh life on Blu-ray for the first time. While Beverly Hills Cop 2 looked good there, it looks spectacular here, truly showcasing the strengths of what a proper 4K remastering can do for a film. While it keeps its filmic, grainy visuals, never are they distracting and if anything they just encapsulate the era while cleaning it up and preserving it in ways that allow it to shine as brilliantly today as it did back in 1987.
What will truly impress fans is the added depths and textures that are captured here, bringing a level of detail to your screen that is truly impressive. The skin, clothing and environmental textures just draw the viewer into the film and are sometimes shockingly good. It’s the type of look you want to see when you hear a film is getting a 4K update, as we’ve all fallen victim to the ‘updated’ releases that are more or less simply ports of the DVD or Blu-ray to a new disc. Paramount has proven itself to be a studio that delivers when it comes to its remasterings, and Beverly Hills Cop 2 is no exception.
We’re a couple of years away from a potential completion to the 4K trilogy if Beverly Hills Cop 3 happens to get a 30th Anniversary remastering, but in the meantime fans can enjoy the first two films in fantastically upgraded fashion. Even if you picked up the film on Blu-ray a couple of years ago this one is worth the purchase, as Beverly Hills Cop 2 continues Paramount’s streak of top tier 4K releases. Axel Foley’s contagious, toothy laugh has never looked so good.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review
I’ve already touched on the video and just how strong an upgrade it is, so I’ll just touch on it a bit more here. This is a 2160p/Dolby Vision remastering and I mentioned how the textures and details throughout the film have been brought to another level, but didn’t go into the colour aspect of it yet. The Dolby Vision brings a fresh feel to the movie as well. The blacks are rich and have added depth to them, the whites pop and the colours shine as best they can in the film’s realistic tone.
On the audio side of things we’ve got a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track that pops wonderfully alongside the upgraded visuals. Both the score and music blast through beautifully, and the sound effects are felt throughout for the most part. As a whole Paramount has nailed it once again with the one two punch when dealing with 4K remastering a film, and once again it’s the fans who win in the end.
Special Features:
Here’s where having previous versions of the film come in handy, as this 4K offering doesn’t have any special features attached to it.
Paramount Pictures Presents Bevery Hills Cop 2. Directed by: Tony Scott. Written by: Larry Ferguson, Warren Skaaren. Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Brigitte Nielsen, Ronny Cox, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell. Running time: 100 minutes. Rating: 14A. 4K Blu-ray Released: May 17, 2022.
