Top Gun: Maverick: It Soars

It's so weird that this movie is actually out now. Originally, it was slated for a July 2019 date, then to June 2020 in order to film new air sequences. It was moved up two days to June 24. Covid hit and it was pushed to December that same year. It was then delayed yet again to July 2 2021... only to be pushed to November of that same year. Surprise, it got pushed again to May 27. So the bottom line is we finally got to see a movie that's about two years old. During all of this (actually a week before it came out) I watched the original Top Gun. I really liked it. Does the sequel go above its predecessor? That's what I'm here to tell you.

Top Gun: Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski and stars Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, and Glen Powell. After more than 30 years of service as a Navy aviator, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) is called upon yet again for a new mission. The objective is to instruct a new team of pilots to conduct a top-secret mission that is damn-near impossible. With all of that out of the way, let's dive into the review!

I'm not going to sugar-coat it, I loved this movie. I had heard it was getting rave reviews, but I was a little skeptical since I don't always agree with them. This is not one of those times. As mentioned earlier, I only watched the original Top Gun a few weeks back. I honestly think this one surpasses it. Yes I know his personal life is a bit odd to say the least, but Tom Cruise is great as Maverick. We really see him develop as a person. He's been doing this for a while and he doesn't want a promotion because he'd be grounded. In many ways, he's kind of how he was in the original only older (even though Tom Cruise must've injected some Scientology juice because, my God, the man doesn't age). What really intrigued me was that, in a way, this is a story about Maverick's grief. He still isn't over the death of Goose, his radar intercept officer who died in the first one. Maverick still blames himself for it. The movie did a great job of illustrating this. One scene in particular comes to mind at a bar. I thought it was a pretty realistic take on what it's like to miss someone you really loved. Another thing I really liked was his relationship with Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Goose, Maverick's old radar intercept officer who died in the first movie. The dynamic between the two of them is hinted at in the trailer, but the movie adds another layer to it. Maverick has sort of become a father-figure to Rooster. I won't get into it too much because it was a surprise to me when i saw it. Speaking of Rooster, I really liked what Miles Teller did here. Like I mentioned before, he has a sort of bitterness towards Maverick. He really did look like Goose's son and even rocked the mustache, too. There's a great sequence with him at a bar singing while playing the piano. It's a really neat callback to the first film. Everyone does a great job. The standout to me was Glen Powell as Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin. He's a jerk, yes, but he just oozes with charisma. This can be said for the whole cast as well. Everyone looks like they're having a blast and that really elevates the movie. This can be illustrated, yet again, in the bar sequence. It's pretty rare in a movie when you see the characters just having a good time. I really appreciated that they included Val Kilmer's Iceman as well. Kilmer had throat cancer and underwent a tracheotomy. As a result, he can't really speak. The movie did such a great job having him back and it led to one of the most heartfelt moments of the film. From a technical standpoint, the movie looks great. It's just gorgeous to look at, especially the aerial sequences. What was interesting about these parts of the movie was they were actually filmed, it wasn't CG. The actors had to fly these jets and really felt the G-forces. There was nothing fake about it. It added a layer of believabiltiy to the movie. The action sequences were great, too. I felt like I was in the air with these pilots. There's one shot in particular that I'm still thinking about (I won't spoil it). Like in all of his projects, Tom Cruise really commits to the action. We even get a couple of Tom Cruise runs!

There's not a lot I didn't like about this movie. Most of my gripes happen during the third act. One sequence really makes you supsend your disbelief. At times it can also be a little predictable. As soon as they showed one character doing something, I was able to sort of figure out what was going to happen. When it comes to the music, I was a little dissapointed. Don't get me wrong, it's pretty great and we hear some reworkings of the old theme, but seeing that Hans Zimmer was helping with it, I expected a little more. This next one is a really minor issue and is a little bit of a spoiler. The movie doesn't mention Charlie, Maverick's love interest in the first one. I thought it would've been nice to since she was such an important part of the first one.

Top Gun: Maverick is a great time and flys past its predecessor. The cast, particularly Cruise and Teller, were great, it's gorgeous to look at, and the action is exhilarating. The third act gets to be a little predictable, some moments really required you to suspend your disbelief, and it would've been nice to have heard about Charlie. With all of that being said, these are extremely minor gripes for an amazing film. It's hard to really put into words how good this movie is, you just have to see. This was made to be seen on the big screen. If I were to rate it, I'd give Top Gun: Maverick a 9/10. You'll feel the need, the need for speed!