Top Gun: Maverick review

TOP GUN: MAVERICK: 

SEQUEL TO ICONIC 1986 FILM WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Tom Cruise is back in Top Gun: Maverick

 

            Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible franchise, Minority Report, Edge of Tomorrow) jumps back into the pilot’s seat in Top Gun: Maverick, the highly anticipated follow-up to the 1986 classic that made Cruise the incredibly successful action star he is today. I really enjoy the first Top Gun, even though I know it’s not a great film and relies on a lot of style over substance. 

            But as a cheesy 80s action movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, it’s always an entertaining watch with incredible flying sequences that still hold up today, memorable characters and charismatic performances from the cast, and one of the most iconic soundtracks in film history, I even went to an IMAX 3D re-release of it a while ago, which was cool. 

            Now, we have this sequel 36 years later which had been in development since at least 2010, but its future was put into question after the unfortunate passing of the first film’s director, Tony Scott in 2012. Thanks to the commitment of Tom Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Days of Thunder, Bad Boys trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise), the project did see the light of the day with Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion, Only the Brave) in the director’s chair. 

            Given that I’m a fan of Tom Cruise when it comes to his stunt work and how he’ll put his life on the line for our entertainment and that I enjoyed the first film as a dumb popcorn flick, seeing the sequel is a no-brainer and…wow! This is a decades-later sequel done right as it honors the original film countless times as well as improving upon it and paying respect to the old characters while also allowing the audience to grow attached to the newcomers, not to mention the amazing flying sequences that can only be seen on the IMAX screen. 

            Set three decades after the events of the first film, test pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is tasked to return to Top Gun to train a new group of graduate fighter pilots for their biggest and most dangerous mission yet. To fly through enemy territory and blow up a uranium enrichment facility in the mountains that’s armed with surface-to-air missiles and fifth-generation fighters. 

            That’s actually the least of Maverick’s problems as one of the pilots happens to be the son of his late best friend and wingman, Goose who is now all grown up and goes by the call sign of Rooster (Miles Teller-The Divergent Series, Whiplash, Only the Brave) and resents Maverick for personal reasons. Haunted by his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation against his greatest fears, but with the compassion of an old fame by the name of Penelope “Penny” Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly-Labyrinth, The Rocketeer, A Beautiful Mind) and charisma of his team, Maverick hops back into the cockpit to lead this group of Top Gun graduates on a life-threatening mission of epic proportions…and hopefully reconcile with the son of his deceased friend and partner. 

            The film also stars Ed Harris (Apollo 13, A History of Violence, Appaloosa) as Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain, Jon Hamm (Mad Men, Baby Driver, Richard Jewell) as Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson, Glen Powell (The Dark Knight Rises, Everybody Wants Some!!, Hidden Figures) as Hangman, Lewis Pullman (Battle of the Sexes, The Strangers: Prey at Night, Bad Times at the El Royale) as Bob, Monica Barbaro (Chicago P.D., The Good Cop, Splitting Up Together) as Phoenix, Charles Parnell (The Venture Bros., The Last Ship) as Warlock, Jay Ellis (The Game,Insecure, Escape Room) as Payback, Danny Ramirez (The Gifted, Assassination Nation, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) as Fanboy, Greg Davis (Grey’s Anatomy) as Coyote, Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Bad Times at the El Royale, Belle) as Fritz, Bashir Salahuddin (A Simple Favor, Marriage Story, Cyrano) as Hondo, Jake Picking (Patriots Day, Blockers, Sicario: Day of the Soldado) as Harvard, Raymond Lee (Mozart in the Jungle, Here and Now) as Yale, Lyliana Wray (Maximum Ride, Black-ish, Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2019)) as Amelia Benjamin, Jean Louisa Kelly (Uncle Buck, Mr. Holland’s Opus, Malignant) as Sarah Kazansky, Chelsea Harris (Designated Survivor, Snowpiercer, Stalker) as Flag Aide Angela Burke, and Val Kilmer (Willow, Tombstone, Batman Forever) reprising his role from the original film as Iceman. 

            Overall, Top Gun: Maverick isn’t just a solid follow-up to the 1986 film, but also a love letter to both the original movie and Tony Scott. You can tell just by the way the film opens with a very similar opening credits scene with the crew getting the plane ready for takeoff and the theme music plays immediately followed by Danger Zone to the end credits where they show footage of the actors with their name underneath, and visually the film does capture how his movies looked and felt when watching them. 

            But it doesn’t just pay homage to the original, it also improves some of the things that you could argue didn’t age that well. I said the plot wasn’t anything great in the original, but here the pacing is a lot better, and you understand what they’re training for in the beginning instead of the mission showing up in the last twenty minutes of the film. There is more of a threat this time around and a lot of time is devoted to the characters interacting with each other and preparing for the mission. 

            Maverick may not be one of my all-time favorite Tom Cruise performances, but he continues to bring a lot of charisma to the role and he’s a little more restrained and semi-less arrogant than in the first film. Honestly, I think the best scene with Cruise is when he’s talking to Val Kilmer’s Iceman, if you’ve seen the movie then you already know what I’m talking, but if you haven’t, this is basically the emotional highlight of the entire film with a very heartbreaking ending, but the acting from Cruise is excellent and could possibly be some of his best acting in a long time. 

            The flying scenes are spectacular and is often described as “game-changing” and “revolutionary” when it comes to filmmaking. Most of the plane scenes were done practically with special cameras right inside the cockpits accompanied by the size and scope of the IMAX screen, it puts you in the pilot’s seat of the plane and the climax is one of the most intense and exhilarating sequences out of either one of the Top Gun movies. 

            Top Gun: Maverick has all the workings of a fun summer blockbuster with groundbreaking camera work, exhilarating action sequences, a solid cast, and sense of nostalgia. What more can I say but grab your friends and take the highway to the Danger Zone and watch it on the biggest screen possible…you’re welcome!