Top Gun: Maverick Review

Top Gun: Maverick

Rarely do movie sequels which come decades after the original actually manage to live up to expectation or surpass the original in anyway.

For Example, Independence Day: Resurgence, Dumb And Dumber To etc.

What is even rarer is for such a long delayed sequel to actually live up to the nostalgia.

For Example, Star Wars Episode 7, Tron: Legacy (Directed co-incidentally by the same director as Top Gun Maverick.)

What’s totally unheard of, is such a sequel, out doing the original, blowing it completely out of the water and becoming an instant classic.

Top Gun Maverick is such a rarity.

Let’s get to the good parts.

The Story.

Unlike the 1986 original, this time… The story / Plot is much more coherent, focused, mission based, urgent and overall better done in every way. Unlike random rivalries and a coming of age for Fighter pilots’ story. This time, they have to train perfectly at Top Gun or they will die on the mission. That sense of urgency helps the sequel a lot.

We also see Pete still being wrung out by his superior officers just like he used to be in his youth and that works well for the story, as it shows us that despite the years he is still the same inside.

Acting.

Tom Cruise was 56 when he shot this film, he was 22 or 23 when the first one was made. But in the intervening years, he has not lost his form even a little bit. He manages to get back into the character of Pete Michell, without it feeling like Ethan Hunt. Sure, Pete is older, he is world weary, but he still has it, he is Maverick.

Speaking of still having it, Tom cruise still has the same physique as when he was 23. Maybe better. That’s not just impressive, it shows an insane level of dedication.

Miles Teller is good in most movies, he works here fine, but doesn’t really have a whole lot to do.

Jennifer Connelly still has her look and charm and despite being a few years younger than Cruise, she fits the role of his ex-flame perfectly.

Action, Stunts and Non-CGI.

There is not a lot of action scenes in the film, but the ones that are there, make it count. They have made the film like it is still 1980s. What I mean by that is, the action set pieces are not so much in quantity that they lose their appeal, nor has there been anything super duper unrealistic shown. The plane stunts are real when possible and anything a bit over the top is pushing on the boundaries of realistic without breaking it.

I was so happy to see a proper plane-based action movie which was not fully CGI (Looking at you ‘Stealth’).

I am tired of the fact that the only big budget action movies they make now a days are superhero films. This is a non-super hero, 80’s style action, done mostly without CGI and it really shines through.

Every actor had to film their scenes inside the plane while it was being flown around at high G’s. That’s insane to think about in this CGI riddled world of film making.

Overall.

This film is all about the 80’s nostalgia done right. It is not so backward looking that it becomes cheesy or boring, but its not afraid to be a proper sequel to the first movie. The music is back. the Top Gun anthem blares and it still has the same effect it did all those years ago. Danger Zone is back and compared to the songs now, it’s a gem.

Rating.

I really didn’t find anything negative in the film. After a long time, I am seeing a film, in which I had absolutely no gripes what so ever and enjoyed every part of it immensely.

This is a perfect 10/10 for me. The best-case scenario of a sequel done spectacularly well.

P.s: Very Mild Spoilers follow.

Is it just me or does the whole mission at Top Gun academy seem like a tribute to the Death Star run of Star Wars Episode 4. The canyon run, the pin point targeting of a ventilation shaft, it all seems like such a nice nod to one of our favorite Sci-Fi films of all time…