The original Top Gun is one of those classic 80s movies that still holds a revered place in film lovers’ hearts. Sure, it’s cheesy and is exactly what you could expect from a montage-heavy underdog story of the time, but there’s just so much charm to it. Now, 36 years later, we get a sequel that I’m not sure anyone asked for or thought we even needed.
The plot, once again, follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell several decades after the original movie’s events. Though, he never achieved the excellence that he felt promised. Instead, he’s always considered himself to be a pilot first, and did not seek to a promotion in rank. He is a constant thorn in authority’s sides, though his talent for flight cannot be disputed.
In an attempt to humble him, he is ordered to go back to instructing the pilots at Top Gun for an impending mission. He becomes hesitant as his former wingman Goose’s son is training for the hazardous mission. Maverick must contend with his own demons, the high stakes of the mission itself, and finding happiness along the way.
Try as I might, I just can’t hide my excitement about Top Gun: Maverick. I watched this film with a mild amount of interest going in and kept waiting for it to get bad. From the very get go, it was thrilling and emotional. Yet, I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never did.
This sequel is constantly engaging and perfectly paced. The visuals and camera work put you in the cockpit right alongside these characters and it’s absolutely stunning. Even training scenes have a level of danger and fun about them. If I could rank movies based on how sweaty my palms got, this would be an all-timer. It’s insane what level of quality Tom Cruise expects from the movies he chooses, and this film excels because of it. It never feels false or CG-laden. Your eyes will thank you as they take in sights that actually exist, which is rare for most modern blockbusters. It’s honestly a breath of fresh air.
Joseph Kosinski (Only the Brave, Oblivion) helms Maverick and immediately proves how ready he is to be a modern great. He takes what works from Tony Scott’s original movie and adds so many layers that bolster the legacy. He removes everything that didn’t work the first time around, i.e. the never-believable romance, and reworks it in a way that makes Maverick a real, relatable character.
This is entirely a character study on Maverick. This film explores decades of lost potential, stubbornness, and the ghosts that haunt us based on our own volition. Maverick has always been a character that prides himself on acting fast and never thinking. It’s a motto that has got him out of several life-threatening situations. However, it has permanently damaged his personal life and left him alone, in both his military life and love life.
In this movie, he runs into a former girlfriend in Penny (Jennifer Connelly), whom he clearly abandoned years earlier for his own reasons. Their fractured relationship is a very welcome part of the plot and builds on what personal demons he needs to defeat before he can excel at anything.
This is how you make a legacyquel. It pays more than enough honor to the movie that filmgoers have held dear for decades and introduces new characters and stakes that keep the story engaging. It’s hard to imagine enjoying a movie with the training pilots alone, as many of them are one-dimensional character types, but they have the benefit of a film crew (and a few leading actors) that knows exactly how to craft a fascinating blockbuster around them.
Top Gun: Maverick is a must see! It far outclasses the original, while building on what worked so well before. It is the new ultimate dad movie, but honestly is a movie that has the capability to thrill nearly everyone. For me, it came out of nowhere and is now a standard on how to make a great summer blockbuster. It has drama, laughs, love, and enough tension to make it a modern classic. I give it two sweaty palms or an A-.
Comments are closed.