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Along with the glitzier collection of guest contributors, Balfe also utilized his usual, substantial array of arrangers to assist him, and until this extended crew is more specifically attributed, it's no wonder that some listeners still consider them ghostwriters. On the upside, though, Balfe's direction of the score led to the assembly of several vintage synthesizers (Jupiter X, Oberheim, Moog, etc.) used by Faltermeyer in the first two franchise scores. Interestingly, though, despite all the effort from him and others who performed these machines, the end result doesn't quite sound the same. The two Faltermeyer scores in the franchise not only espoused a distinctive sound, but they also conveyed it with sass and spirit, bringing not only coolness to the characters, but more crucially establishing the comedic element. The basic 1980's personality of Faltermeyer is resurrected here but in a surprising zombie state, one lacking the same vibrant demeanor and thus sounding like a struggling imitation at times. One might suspect that this change in tone could be due to the overproduction of the new music for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, its recording certainly more polished but not necessarily improving the soundscape because of that. The straight re-recording of the original suite of themes in "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (Curnow Harding Remix)" is rather pointless because it improves the sound of the performance but loses that intangible sense of magic. Also at work is Balfe's infusion of an orchestra for a small handful of notable cues, and at the very least he manages to avoid the lightweight and wayward sound of Nile Rodgers' score for the 1994 entry. On the other hand, Balfe can't resist taking his orchestral influence overly muscular, which doesn't always work, either. When not expressing one of the existing or new themes, Balfe and his team's work sounds frightfully generic despite its frequent referencing of 1980's pop score standards. Where this soundtrack really diverges is in the use of voice, something that Balfe had also expanded upon with his Bad Boys music. The male vocal expression at the start of "Meet Jane" is a carryover from that other franchise, but what really makes a mark is the vaguely religious, mixed adult vocal tones at the outset of "Team Talk" and "90210." Hearing hints of gospel influences aren't necessarily disqualifying for this franchise, but they are definitely something that will catch Faltermeyer purists off guard. Together, these shifts in direction and failure to truly evoke the same 1980's pizzazz will disappoint some concept fans.

For some nostalgic types, however, the Balfe team's efforts for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F will induce a smile simply because it tries hard to do so. Foremost in such endeavors is the use of the four distinct parts of Faltermeyer's iconic main theme, which was competitive on international charts in the mid-1980's. The actual main theme is the jaunty and fun one for Foley, a repetitive phrase with no secondary development. Outside of the straight remix, it figures here as a subtle tease in the second half of "Junior Bollinger" but is afforded a very annoying new keyboarded tone several times in "Bribe Chalino" and wraps up the moment at 2:51 into "Team Talk." Perhaps controversially, Balfe humorously transforms the theme into an epic orchestral and choral version in "90210," a purely silly and odd piece of trailer music equivalency that sounds like a bafflingly cheap cover, especially by its obnoxiously rising synthetic pitch technique at its end. Factoring more prominently is the accompanying bassline of the theme, which moves cyclically under many of the main melody performances but can exist by itself. This representation of swagger opens "Junior Bollinger" but begins "Bribe Chalino" in fragmented distortion and then adopts a new, hip form, developed into a fresh bassline idea in "Axel's Return." It returns to form at 1:03 into "Team Talk," however, and teases thereafter. The buddy cop theme of the original Axel F suite is the catchy B phrase to the main melody, lightly keyboarded in staccato fashion. It appropriately dances early in "Junior Bollinger" and takes its traditional form at 1:29 into "Team Talk." Sadly, not factoring significantly in this score is Faltermeyer's banana comedy theme, the alternating marimba notes used for silly moments from Foley's colleagues. In the end, the score's placement of the three other "Axel F" themes will be too infrequent to suffice for some listeners, especially given Faltermeyer's intense loyalty to them. Instead, Balfe opts to reprise the villain and pursuit theme from the first film at 1:39 into "Meet Jane" but really dive into the villain and suspense material from Beverly Hills Cop II, otherwise known popularly as the "Bad Guys" theme. This idea appears at 1:21 into "Wilshire Boulevard" along with that score's suspense technique on top. That pulsating suspense tone in the treble repeats in the latter half of "Bribe Chalino," the start of "Rooftop Escape," and throughout "Rescue Rosewood" and "Mansion Shootout." The actual villain motif also stews throughout "Rooftop Escape."

There is a pair of new themes (or newly adapted offshoots of existing Faltermeyer motifs) supplied to Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, one representing this film on its own and yet another new villain theme for the corrupt police captain pulling the strings of the conspiracy in this story. The new Foley theme is a strangely overblown and melodramatic one, seemingly taking a page from the bombastic evolution of the Bad Boys scores and fitting squarely in Balfe's comfort zone. This bass-heavy idea consists of descending three-note figures, sometimes with bloated female vocals, and it's impossible to miss in the score. It erupts at 0:17 and 1:43 into "Snowplough Chase" but then takes a leave of absence until "Axel's Return," where it enjoys a grungy attitude using the same instrumentation that Faltermeyer had established. This is where the electric guitar and saxophone elements really come into play. Outside of the descending melody, the supporting riffs of this idea won't be easily discernable for the average moviegoer, and there wasn't really any good reason for the original Faltermeyer material to not be adapted for such use. The theme itself does consolidate at 3:12 into "Axel's Return," though, and it goes the more traditional Balfe route at 1:42 into "Bad Helicopter" with the orchestra in tow, though the cue degenerates from there. The new theme also suddenly interrupts the boiling suspense at 2:00 into "Mansion Shootout." On the flipside, the new villain material mingles with the old, with Balfe's ascending three-note phrases constituting the new direction. This idea exists under the pursuit theme in the latter half of "Meet Jane," persists early in "Trackers," and it is fleshed out into a fuller, five-note melody of menace at 0:51 into "Mansion Shootout." One of the challenging aspects of the score its relative brevity, especially with so many pivotal scenes utilizing songs instead. The score's narrative struggles because of its bevy of old and new themes attempting to address concepts with too little time. Faltermeyer's scores were highly repetitive, but that's one of the reasons why they worked. This one doesn't use its time to drive home its catchiness with convincing authority. Overall, Balfe had the right idea with Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, but he somehow managed to lose the spirit of Faltermeyer's work in the process. A more mature, 2020's blockbuster influence on the basic foundation of the same 1980's tone isn't a convincing evolution, and the "90210" monstrosity is actually disturbing in this regard. There was joy and enthusiasm in the first two franchise scores, and that life is drained by this comparatively soulless emulation and modernization.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Lorne Balfe reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.9 (in 29 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 2.89 (in 21,833 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.