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Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Top Gun: Maverick is the rare sequel that surpasses its predecessor. Everything you loved about Top Gun is back: the terrific soundtrack, incredible aerial stunts, memorable scenes, iconic characters, the romance, and more. The difference is that set all these years later, many of these same elements take on a whole other, richer meaning.

It’s been over 30 years since Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) enlisted in Top Gun. Still more than a little reckless, and with a penchant for breaking the rules, he is nonetheless called to serve as an instructor for an upcoming and urgent mission. Among his pupils are Lt. Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell), Lt. Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman), Lt. Natasha “Phoenix” Trace (Monica Barbaro), and - most importantly - Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), son of Maverick's late RIO.

Top Gun: Maverick was repeatedly delayed by the pandemic and is only now arriving in theaters. The wait has been worth it. This film must absolutely be seen on the big screen. First, so you can properly appreciate the aerial stunts. They’re incredible. When we get to the big mission, we might as well be taken back in time to your first viewing of Star Wars when Luke and the rest of the Rebel Alliance were speeding through those endless canyons on the Death Star. You’re so invested in the mission it feels like the universe is at stake - plus the sequences have quite a bit in common. All you can do is feel the excitement, the adrenaline pumping through your veins at a nearly unbearable rate. This brings us to the second reason you’ve got to see this film with a crowd: the communal enthusiasm. This picture is such a crowd-pleaser it would break your heart to stand up and cheer only to see no one around you doing the same.

Despite the dynamite action scenes, it's the emotional content that makes Maverick even better than the original. Tom Cruise still looks like Maverick did all those years ago. His characters is still the endlessly talented hot shot bachelor whose smile melts hearts. Compare him to Iceman (Val Kilmer), who probably hasn’t flown a plane in decades and is an admiral. He was Maverick’s rival, now he’s his boss. We see these two men who started off on the same path now miles apart. It stops you dead in your tracks to see that Val Kilmer has changed so much since Top Gun. It’s doubly appropriate because Maverick is very much stuck in the past. His romantic interest Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly, marvelous) is an old flame - no doubt part of an adventure that happened at least ten years ago. Then there's what happened to Nick “Goose” Bradshaw in 1986. For the mission to be a success, he must confront the past, and find a balance. He needs to be the pilot he is now, and learn to grow up.

In terms of flaws, the biggest is essentially the same as before. The plot concerns an unnamed enemy in an armed conflict that will not start a war despite plenty of bullets and missiles being shot. I suppose you could also say that some of the recruits in Maverick’s class barely get names, much less characterization. This is me looking for a way to prove I’m being fair. The truth is none of those matter in the moment. Top Gun 2 is too effective for you to think about anything outside of the frame.

The story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks makes you feel all of the stories of friendship, love, disappointment, and each victory that have made these people into who they are now. The chemistry between Cruise and Connelly is so good you want more than anything for them to get together, which makes the last act feel a million times more important than it was before. Under the direction of Joseph Kosinski, everything comes together so wonderfully you have no idea where the film will go, or when it will end. Top Gun: Maverick is exactly what I was hoping to see, and more. (Theatrical version on an extended screen, June 12, 2022)

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