After 36 years, we are finally able to watch the sequel to the 1986 Top Gun. I was a little baffled when they announced they were making a Top Gun sequel as I wasn’t fond of this idea of making sequels to really old movies for the sake of banking on nostalgia. The first film was pretty great and I just didn’t feel like the sequel could be as good as the first one. So is Top Gun: Maverick a cash grab or a worthy sequel?
Firstly, the flying scenes are breathtaking! All of these sequences make you feel like you’re in the cockpit and air with them. This is because they did it practically by actually having the actors be in these jets for real. The director fitted cameras into these cockpits and attached them to the side of these jets. This allows for some downright amazing shots and makes the scenes feel more believable. The action scenes are just intense and exhilarating with it having me on the edge of my seat. This is especially noticeable in the final act which is one of the best I’ve seen in recent memory. Additionally, the music score by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer, & Lorne Balfe is very good. I love how they incorporated those 80s tracks into the film while giving more modern and fitting music as well. Furthermore, their music score during the intense action scenes are well done and helps to make the scenes tenser.
Tom Cruise is still great as Maverick even after almost 30 years. He still embodies the character perfectly and does feel like a natural evolution of his character from the first film. I genuinely believe that this is what Maverick would be like in 30 years. Miles Teller is also great as Rooster, Goose’s son, and he has great synergy with Tom Cruise in their scenes together. Jennifer Connelly plays the new love interest for Maverick, Penny, and she is also great in her role thanks to her great chemistry with Tom. Glen Powell plays the rival to Miles and he is very good at being this overly cocky, hateable guy. Likewise, Jon Hamm plays the commander that is antagonistic to Maverick and he also does a good job at being hateable as well. Val Kilmer is one of the few actors from the original to return and I was interested to see how they would handle his throat cancer situation in real life. Thankfully, this film handles it respectfully and probably results in one of the most emotional scenes in the film. The rest of the supporting cast, including those who play the recruits, all do a good job as well.
Moreover, the story itself is also surprisingly enjoyable. The first Top Gun was a cheesy action flick but this one is a very down to earth, character-driven story. Maverick is a lot wiser now thanks to the character arc he got from the first film when he was a student. However, now he has to be the teacher and this is a great antithesis to the story in the first film. The conflict he has now is having to train these recruits to do a suicide mission. He is struggling with the idea of sending other people to their death. It gets worse when one of these recruits is the son of his once best friend. The conflict between Maverick and Rooster is the emotional core of this film. This family dynamic is the most engaging aspect of this film and where the heart of the story lies. Seeing Maverick still trying to cope with the death of Goose and having to deal with the fact that his son could also now die is just captivating stuff.
Nevertheless, I do have some minor nitpicks with the film. I do find the dynamic of the recruits never does quite match the dynamic of the recruits from the first film. I never felt as strong of an attachment to the recruits and this is probably due to the film focusing on the teacher Maverick. There is also a romantic subplot with Maverick and Penny that just feels very superfluous. It never felt like the romance part was even connected to anything in the main plot. Heck, you could take this romance subplot and Penny out of the film and the main story is still the same. It just felt like the romance plot just took away screen time from the interesting stuff. I am also a little annoyed that there is no dialogue or line to explain why Maverick isn’t with Charlie from the first film anymore. Especially, considering how relevant that character was in the first film.
Overall, Top Gun: Maverick is better than the first movie in almost every aspect. It has more amazing action sequences and a more interesting character-driven story. In a world where CGI seems to always be the go-to solution, we then get a rare movie like this where the majority is practical and it is all the better for it. This is not only a worthy sequel but also an amazing accomplishment in movies.
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