It has been more than 30 years since Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) graduated from Top Gun, and he's still pushing the envelope - and his luck. But when the Navy is tasked with a highly dangerous mission inside enemy territory, Mav will face one of his toughest challenges yet; training a new generation of Top Gun graduates to push themselves and their planes to the absolute limit, so they can get the job done.
On the face of it Top Gun: Maverick is your typical sequel. It takes a lot of what we love about its predecessor and rehashes it. And lets face it, that title isn't exactly imaginative. There are even times when it feels like we're working our way through a checklist: flight jacket - check, motorcycle - check, riding motorcycle next to runway as jet takes off - check. They even managed to rehash the awkward meeting on the flight deck of rivals-become-friends. Needless to say, Cruise and his team bet heavily on nostalgia with this one. But it's a bet that more than pays off, because they really have captured the spirit of the original and taken it to all new levels.
With audiences more aware that - whilst still respectful - Top Gun is not a realistic depiction of life in the military, the filmmakers were able to have a little more fun with the story. This one certainly feels less like a recruitment tool and more like a Hollywood action movie. There are several scenes that set the sequel apart from its predecessor. Scenes that demonstrate that the filmmakers have embraced the ridiculous. Like Mav flying a new prototype aircraft.
And thanks to the advances in technology - not to mention some incredible cooperation from the US Navy - Joseph Kosinski was able to put his cast (and by extension, audiences) in the cockpit of the F/A-18. The result of which is a whole new level of authenticity in the performances, and some absolutely spectacular footage as these jets engage in mind-blowing aerial combat manoeuvres. Seeing Tom Cruise in the cockpit as he's catapulted off the deck of an aircraft carrier, or simply flying with a formation of F/A-18's behind him is likely to get hearts pumping in ways they could only dream of back in 1986. It's just a shame the soundtrack isn't able to do the same thing. Where's Kenny Loggins when you need him?
But this isn't all about the flying, it's about who's doing the flying. Top Gun: Maverick features a whole host of new big egos, and Bob (Lewis Pullman is a real scene-stealer as the Weapons Systems Operator who is the complete opposite of his fellow candidates). The one thing that's missing from this movie is the homoerotic/bromance relationship that Top Gun is famous for, replaced with a more generic one-upmanship type rivalry. That said, this bunch of up-coming actors do bring a degree of likeability to their characters, whilst also making it fun for us to watch Maverick bring them down a peg or two. Glen Powell excels as the arrogant glory-hound, Hangman. While Miles Teller brings conflict to Rooster (son of Goose), who loves to fly but is hindered by what happened to his father. For the most part however, the real development is limited to the older characters (some of them, anyway).
Unsurprisingly, Tom Cruise is in his element as Maverick. It's yet another role that allows him to play on the razor's edge. Despite this, Cruise brings a degree of maturity to the hot shot pilot. Mav is still a lunatic, but he's also done some growing up, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that Goose's death still weighs on him. Unfortunately that depth doesn't extend to his relationship with Penny Benjamin. Jennifer Connolly's great, but she's pretty much wasted in a role that simply ticks another one of those boxes. Whereas the movie's most touching scene revolves around a much hinted at cameo. Ever since there was chatter of a Top Gun sequel, questions have been raised about Val Kilmer's possible return as Iceman. Even with everything he has been through Kilmer apparently wasn't afraid to beg for a role. A fact I'm rather glad about because Mav and Iceman share a particularly heart-warming scene. Ultimately though, as the title may suggest, this is about Maverick and where he is 30 years later. The world may have changed, the Navy may have changed, Pete Mitchell may have even changed, but thankfully for us Maverick will always be happy going Mach 10 with his hair on fire.
There may be no points for second place, but there definitely are points for a sequel that's on par with its predecessor. Top Gun: Maverick is everything fans love about Top Gun and more. It may have lost the bromance and the soundtrack won't exactly get your heart pumping, but it makes up for it with some mind-blowing aerial photography.
8/10
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