Top Gun: Maverick
It's been over 30 years since the original Top Gun hit theatres, and now we have the ultimate legacy sequel starring Tom Cruise.
After thinking that Director Joseph Kosinski's 2013 film Oblivion was quite underrated, he reteams with Tom Cruise here, and does so in spectacular fashion. The filmmaker had shot hundreds of hours of footage for the sequel and has meticulously put it together in what equals to some of the best technical work you'll see in a large scale film this year. The aerial shots looked really difficult to pull off, and alongside the kind of approach with using cockpit cameras and side of vehicle shots, it reminded me of the flight work we saw back in 2017's Dunkirk.
Cinematography and action to drive certain moments of the film, particularly in that of the 3rd act, and it contains some of the best edge-of-your-seat moments. The original film by the great Tony Scott, Joseph Kosinski knows how to display the speed and curiosity of his action, and then guide the editing with the famous crosscutting between characters at the right moments, that we saw back in the day. It's the commitment to filming films this way, the way they are meant to be filmed to capture the authenticity and really put the audience up there with these characters.
Really appreciate it as an audience member and knowing that Tom Cruise himself took the time to fully learn flying a fighter jet before commuting to these set pieces, elevates the realism a whole lot higher. And that knowledge also helped with the current framework of his character as someone who has to teach his aviators in flight school this time around.
With Top Gun: Maverick bringing back Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, it also brings the next stage of his evolution, and that involves having to overcome the grief he could not escape. He can't change his past, he can't keep himself in order, and that's as much nostalgic as it is fresh in an interrogation of his iconic character. The film uses flashbacks as fittingly as one can, and yet it also retains the original charm that Top Gun should have. So it ticks all the boxes and this is due to the combined work of all the people behind and in front of the camera.
Top Gun Maverick Has a Better Story Than the Original Film
And the script is where this is really allowed the room to shine. Mission Impossible and Tom Cruise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie and The Batman co-writter Peter Craig, crafts a screenplay that has urgency and an infuse of the action you'd expect from a Mission Impossible film, but of course, in a Top Gun way.
This surprisingly is a treat to watch unfold and the finale is something that staples that. In Top Gun: Maverick, Cruise returns as Maverick Mitchell, and we learn that he's still a navy fighter pilot with irresistable speed. He returns to Top Gun and has to teach the new elite and younger pilots, before they set course on a hugely difficult mission. Reflective of what's happening in the world right now, the objective is to stop an unknown power from bringing a nuclear facility online, and this is all in the midst of some personal complications that stem from the original film.
That's because Miles Teller's Rooster, who is also the son of Goose, blames Maverick for his father's death. This is all seen in the trailer, and we learn to emotional highs that this event still haunts them both, that Rooster feels anger towards what happened and also the fact that it's placed problems on his own career.
It's almost a reverse of the original in that sense, but the emotional resonance of this is done so well and perfectly fits into the story at hand. Not to forget that the film also pushes the question of whether human pilots are still necessary, a question of new vs old, when technologies are advancing so quickly. It's almost as if the writers and primarily Tom cruise, have made a love letter to the practicality of filmmaking and why that magic of cinema is still needed.
Tom Cruise Performance
Tom Cruise who is now aged, still goes by the rule-breaking persona that we knew him for in the original. One thing really admired about this was that with most legacy sequels, take the recent Star Wars for example, they at times disrespect their known characters, like with Luke becoming a hermit who now distrusts the Jedi, or Han Solo being schooled in his own Millenium Falcon and dying before he has a chance to even re-connect with Luke and Leia. Top Gun: Maverick with Tom Cruise respects and stays true to kind of pilot he was in the original film. This is how it should be done, and by also adding a sense of recognition towards his age, it creates another level of intrigue for his character.
There's this essence of him settling down, with Pete looking on at the new top guns in multiple situations, reflecting at a bar or on the beach during sports. It makes him more interesting this time around, yet doesnt strip him of the things we know that he can do in an aircraft. And yet he's also still being looked down at by superiors and has to win them over. Cruise brings this to life even better in this film and the experience he's gained since has really aided that outcome, whether it be practically in the aircraft or on the ground with the drama between him and his students. The sequel does of course stay in line with the structure of the first film, with tense scenes of rivalry, personal issues and a touch of love, but having the mission be the framework right from the beginning, allows Cruise and the other characters in Top Gun: Maverick to really excel in this story.
It's heartwarming to see Maverick now as a teacher with the emotional links surrounding his past and what he now wants to accomplish, heightening the stakes and central narrative all the more.
Fighter Action Scenes Are Incredible
This is obviously one of the main highlights. If you're gonna bring Top Gun into the modern age and do it right, you've got to really deliver on the aerial sequences and make them feel viseral and updated in the right way for our age. And they've really gone and done that in flying colours. What really helps this is the way that Hans Zimmer and the attached composers have elevated the iconic score of the original.
One of the best things about that film was it's music and score, and here, it guides the tension and operatic moments high in the sky and even back on the ground. The score takes you back to Top Gun, then places you right in the elevated action, and as a whole, it's a character of it's own in a fully formed cinematic experience. There's also no greenscreen work or more generic blockbuster music here too. It's all sincere gripping stuff, and it totally makes all the difference. By cutting between close-ups, wider shots and then also back to the control room, the storytelling in the third act is guided through intensity, reactions, the postion characters are in and what it means for the mission.
Top Gun Maverick is A Masterful Sequel
It's the right amount of drama, action, dialogue and pretty much everything you expect from Top Gun and blockbuster filmmaking. It doesn't just stage it's action and dialogue scenes it displays them with a heartbeat that feels planned out and choreographed. But if you're someone who hasn't watched the original film, then don't worry, because Kosinski has made sure to cover that too.
You can pretty much follow it from this fresh perspective, and that's brilliant if you ask me. Other than a few notes with Val Kilmer's Iceman, most of the nostalgia comes throught the heartfelt dive into Goose and how his son currently feels. They've essentially approached this film as it's own undertaking, yet gave it a coat of well-delivered nostalgia to really take you back in a wonderful way. Ultimately, Top Gun: Maverick is a cinematic experience that makes the full use of it's visual, sound and storytelling aspects, to grip you and make you feel the way a well made blockbuster should.
Top Gun Maverick Final Thoughts
This Tom Cruise sequel is a thrilling action blockbuster that flies way over the line with it's spectacular aerial scenes, but it's a blockbuster that retains the vital emotional stakes with a standout performance from the man himself.With Maverick, Cruise reminds us why he's one of the most consistent movie stars on the planet and I honestly only expect his full commitment and execution every time I watch one of his roles.He delivers again here, and a big shoutout has to be given to director Joseph Kosinski, who also proves what a great filmmaker he is, working alongside Cruise here once again.
But overall, Top Gun: Maverick is the best thrill ride and event film you'll see this year.
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