Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Movie Review
Top Gun: Maverick takes place nearly three decades after the original Top Gun (1986). Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is now a U.S. Navy test pilot, testing hypersonic jets. The program is in jeopardy with Admiral Cain (Ed Harris) wanting to shut it down in favor of a drone program. In a test run, Maverick reaches his speed objective and since he’s Maverick, pushes it a little further, completely destroying the jet. As punishment for this infraction, Cain sends him to be a Topgun instructor under the direction of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer).
Maverick is brought in to teach a group of pilots how to execute their latest mission: bombing a foreign country’s unsanctioned uranium enrichment plant. Their target is nearly impossible to hit, located at the end of a long canyon with missiles and fighter jets at the ready to take them out if they’re detected. The new pilots have chips on their shoulders, particularly Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller) who is the son of Goose. If you haven’t watched the original Top Gun, you probably should because they do reference it. His relationship with Maverick is tense and he makes it clear that he doesn’t respect him.
The young pilots are just as likable as the original cast. Rooster has his own foil in Jake “Hangman” (Glen Powell) and the two butt heads constantly throughout the movie. They also include a woman pilot this time around, Natasha “Phoenix” (Monica Barbaro), who holds her own in a room full of guys. Maverick has a love interest again, but sadly it’s not Charlie from the original movie. Instead he is interested in Penny (Jennifer Connelly), the owner and bartender of the joint the pilots frequent.
Did they really need to make a sequel? No. But to be honest this is one of the few times where the sequel is just as good if not better than the original. The special effects have caught up making the dog fight scenes ten times better than the original. These fight scenes are tons of fun to watch and seem larger than life. There was a good balance of action sequences and plot, ensuring you got a little of both to keep you entertained.
Tom Cruise is reliably good and incredibly fit for how old he is. Fair warning, you do see him shirtless on the beach. This time instead of volleyball the pilots play football to build teamwork and let loose a little. There are a lot of parallels like this and shout outs to the original film. If you’re an uber fan of the original, you’ll enjoy looking out for these moments. Miles Teller was also spot on as Rooster and his history with Maverick and the legacy of his father Goose packs an emotional punch that is definitely needed. It heightens the tension and helps give the story an edge that will keep you invested.
What is truly most impressive about this movie is how much the flight scenes have improved. The editing keeps these scenes tight and quick cuts give you the feeling of being in the plane with the pilots. It was thrilling to feel like you were in the air with them. Top Gun: Maverick is action packed and it feels like the best kind of Hollywood blockbuster, where the good guys win and everyone goes home happy.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You liked the original Top Gun
2. You want to see ripped shirtless men
3. You like fighter pilot action sequences
