Almost pulls a Top Gun: Maverick

This blows III out of the water and I even enjoyed it more than II.

Murphy gives a shit this time and settles back into the role perfectly. His easy humorous repartee is totally back ‘…this Fisher Price motherfucker’, there are some cool cop tricks, decent largely practical action, and probably the best villain in the series.

It really feels like a natural sequel, it doesn’t feel like nearly half a century has passed since Part 1, and yet it’s updated appropriately.

Woke is minimal, with Eddie actually poking fun at it. Big points for that.

What doesn’t work? Axel’s daughter is OK but she gives him a lot of shit and it gets irritating, but it kind of pays off by the end. Oof, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton have aged like milk - Reinhold looks kinda messed up, like he’s been on drugs, and Ashton looks 90 (he’s 70something), but they bring their characters back so it all works. Plus it’s just great to see them, along with Reiser and Pinchot.

Joe Gord Lev and Kevin Bacon are welcome new additions, Bacon remains a solid 28%er (improving any film he’s in by at least 28%), great casting.

It basically gets everything right and even carries a bit of emotional punch, reminding you that Murphy is an Oscar winning actor as well as a funny fucker. It’s not the roaring success of Top Gun Mav but it’s a noble effort and a more than worthy addition to the series 🍻

After the abomination that was Coming2America, Murphy has just about redeemed himself here shit.