Alright! Today I'm reviewing the inevitable sequel to a 40-year-old movie from the 80s, Top Gun: Maverick. A sequel to 1986's not-so-good classic Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick sees the title character return to Top Gun, the Navy's piloting program for the best of the best. The catch? He's an instructor and has three weeks to teach a new batch of pilots - including the son of his fallen wingman Goose - how to survive a near impossible mission to bomb a Uranium plant in an unnamed rogue state.
To start off, I am not a fan of the first Top Gun. I saw it during the pandemic and thought it was just fine. News of a sequel broke, and I had the typical reaction: "Ew, a legacy sequel to an 80s classic. That'll suck." However, Tom Cruise is Tom Cruise and I'm a fan of director Joseph Kosinski's work, so it snuck to #19 on my "The 22 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022" list back in December, with the disclaimer that:
"Will I watch it when it comes out? Likely not, unless the reviews are incredible. For now, it seems like a very "IP for the sake of IP" move from a desperate Paramount."
And then the reviews came out, and by golly did they have some buzz to it. This movie was apparently fantastic, so I bought the ticket (I'm a man of my word). And you know what? The reviews were right. This movie is fantastic. It's visually engaging, emotional, and it's better than the original (A low bar for me personally, but still).
One of the things I appreciate the most about the movie was that it, unlike several other sequels to 40-year-old 80s hits (cough Ghostbusters: Afterlife cough), was not driven by fan service. While the events of the first film are referenced, they are not done so merely through nods and winks. They are interwoven into the narrative, becoming a driving force of conflict in the film. There's nothing like that shot of the twinkie in the Ecto-1. You could walk in here with no knowledge of the first film and still have a great cinema experience. That's something I really appreciate.
Case in point: Goose's death. In the first Top Gun, Maverick's wingman Goose dies, and Maverick has to let his corpse go to be saved. This movie gave that action the proper weight, tone, and loss typically reserved for an actor who died in that 40-year gap. But no, Anthony Edwards is still alive and kicking. That was refreshing - instead of the film being sad because the fans remember that character, the film is sad because the characters remember that character. It justifies spending time developing and resolving that loss. It doesn't feel incomplete or half-baked, it feels right.
In that vein, Top Gun: Maverick is surprisingly emotional. The emotional drive of the movie really took full reign for a few scenes, creating these scenes of real emotional depth that one wouldn't expect from a Tom Cruise action spectacular. Val Kilmer shone brightly in this regard - in many ways, it was emotional enough just to see him on the big screen, let alone offer an inspiring message on moving on. The fact that they brought Val Kilmer back was a highlight of the film for me.
The rest of the cast was pretty great as well - Tom Cruise does his thing, effortlessly likable and seemingly invincible, Miles Teller is surprisingly likable, Glen Powell has good Johnny Storm energy, and the rest of the ensemble does a pretty great job at creating a warm and nostalgic environment, even if keeping Manny Jacinto out of focus and in the background was a crime against nature. One could almost feel like it's the 80s again.
"It's the 80s again" seems to be the mindset they had going into the movie (In the best way possible). Some of your favorite tropes - unknowingly disrespecting authority figures, random love interests, and Tom Cruise - all appear in spectacular fashion. Speaking of the love interest, Jennifer Connelly shows up here as a bar owner, which, for the most part, was woven into the narrative well and gave Cruise someone to talk to. In that regard, she felt like a conduit for Maverick's emotions than anything else. However, Jennifer Connelly is always a win, so her randomly showing up isn't the worst thing in the world.
Without a doubt though, the best part of the movie is the planes. When you watch it in the theater, a video plays where Tom Cruise announces that real planes were used for the film's complex dogfight scenes, and that knowledge really blended a lot to the viewing experience. It's a given that Jospeh Kosinski makes beautiful looking films, but this was beautiful in a real-world sort of way, not a dystopia or Grid sort of way.
Consequently, the fight scenes in this movie are intense. There's a speed and ferocity to them that modern blockbusters have really been missing. This movie quite literally feels the need for speed as its pilots push the limits of Machs and perform impossible missions to the thrill of the viewers. Its thrilling popcorn entertainment and not in the dumb fun way.
That's not to say the movie isn't fun. The movie is loads of fun, featuring surprising amounts of levity, visual prowess, committed performances from everyone involved, and, most importantly - a world you could see yourself living in. In an unquantifiable je ne sais quoi kind of way, Top Gun: Maverick draws you in and creates an extremely livable world. You could see yourself in this bar, singing along to "Great Balls of Fire" alongside best of the best pilots.
I saw the first Top Gun movie and thought that if I ever joined the military, well, the sky's the limit. Planes it is. However, I went out of Top Gun: Maverick thinking "Wow. Glad I turned down that Navy recruiter" (I got a good score on the ASVAB. It was a 91). I also really enjoyed Lady Gaga's tie-in song "Hold My Hand." However, one good Gaga song does not compare to the triple whammy of the original's "Top Gun Anthem," "Take My Breath Away," and "Danger Zone."
Top Gun: Maverick is looking to be an absolute smash this summer movie season, and deservedly so. The movie is rock solid for Tom Cruise fans, Top Gun fans, people who don't care about Top Gun, date nights, and any casual movie viewers. If you have eyes and appreciate visual spectacle, you'll be more than satisfied by a trip with Maverick and co.
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