Movie Review: “Top Gun: Maverick” is that rare sequel that soars above its predecessor!

MOVIE REVIEW: TOP GUN: MAVERICK (PG-13)

Megastar Tom Cruise is still up there with the best of the best in a sequel that is substantially stronger than the beloved 80s gem that inspired it. In fact, one might question whether or not there will be a more thrilling, more purely enjoyable blockbuster for the remainder of the year! High praise, indeed, but trust me when I tell you, the praise is warranted. And this endorsement is coming from someone who–Gasp!– isn’t even a huge fan of the original. That said, I’d be shocked if anyone with a grand fondness for 1986’s “Top Gun” doesn’t fall completely in love with this larger-scale follow-up. Simply put, “Top Gun: Maverick” will–wait for it–Take your breath away!

This decades-in-the-making sequel catches up with Pete “Maverick” Mitchell some 35 years after he took Top Gun by storm and aided his fellow hotshots in defeating high-flying enemies in U.S. airspace. While this older, wiser, and considerably more vulnerable Maverick still takes crazy risks, they are–for the most part– more calculated risks. Sure, he still loves to buzz the tower and infuriate the occasional higher-ranking officer, but he’s much more of a team player this time around and it’s clear that he always has the best interests of those around him at heart.

After a stunt for the greater good lands Maverick in some hot water,  he finds himself tasked with training a group of Top Gun recruits, in an effort to complete a covert operation that could potentially see them behind enemy lines. Among this team of skilled and appropriately over-confident hotshots is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, son of Maverick’s fallen partner, Goose (wonderfully played by Anthony Edwards in the original.) Suffice it to say, things aren’t all sunshine and rainbows, as Maverick butts head with Rooster even when he’s simply trying to make amends with him. Meanwhile, Maverick rekindles a romance with lovely bartender, Penny (Jennifer Connelly), an on-again, off-again flame from his past. And in fact, die-hard “Top Gun” fans will probably remember a moment from the original film in which Goose actually name drops Penny, so let it be known that she was in the picture even before Kelly McGillis’ Charlie who, subsequently, is nowhere to be found in this film aside from her image in a photograph.

After the passing of original “Top Gun” director, Tony Scott, fans questioned whether or not this sequel would ever actually happen but after many years in development hell, producer Jerry Bruckheimer got together with Tom Cruise and “Tron: Legacy” director Joseph Kosinski to make this thing a reality. And the end result is a movie that tops the original in almost every conceivable way. The ariel sequences are truly spectacular and the entire movie is not only a love letter to “Top Gun,” but also to the likes of “Star Wars” and the very best of 80s and 90s action cinema.

Holding it all together is the incomparable Cruise, a movie star who will do just about anything in the name of our entertainment. Not only is that him up in those jets, but he also insisted that his younger co-stars take flight as well. Those younger co-stars include “Whiplash” headliner Teller whose Rooster bears quite a resemblance to his dear old dad. Also along for the ride are terrific supporting players played by the likes of  Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Lewis Pullman, Bashir Salahuddin,  and a wonderful Connelly whose scenes with Cruise are actually pretty darn adorable. Nowhere to be found, however, are the aforementioned McGillis and Meg Ryan’s Carole Bradshaw, who is only referenced in a pivotal bit of dialogue. That said, Val Kilmer’s Ice Man is back, and while I’ll refrain from spoilers here, I will say that he’s tremendous despite a very small amount of screen time. As they say, though, there are no small parts, only small actors, and Kilmer makes the most of the time he’s given. In one scene with Maverick, in particular, he’s so moving, that I could audibly hear grown men weeping at the screening I attended. Not me, of course.

As expected, “Top Gun: Maverick” isn’t without the obligatory callbacks, but…There’s actually more to this movie than nostalgia and quite honestly, the 35-year gap between installments is to this film’s great benefit. Again, there’s a kind of maturity to Maverick, a maturity that is certainly informed by his brash (and somewhat tragic) past. What’s more, the bond between Maverick and Rooster is incredibly engaging, particularly in the second half of the picture.

Kosinski is to be commended for bringing a ton of energy to the proceedings and even though he peppers the film with the familiar, he also manages to subvert our expectations. Look no further than a callback to the infamous scene in the original in which a bunch of good-looking dudes engage in a sweaty game of shirtless volleyball.  As played in this movie, the game actually means something. Beyond that, Kosinski manages to mount a handful of truly dynamic set-pieces. So dynamic, in fact, that I didn’t even mind that this movie appears to have 3 endings. Not only did I not mind it, but I actually embraced it with open arms because I was having so much damn fun.

This movie pretty much has it all; action, drama, humor, romance, and a surprising amount of heart. It’s a pulse-pounding crowd-pleaser of the highest caliber and when you go to see it, do yourself a favor; See it on the biggest screen with the loudest sound possible because that’s the way movies like “Top Gun: Maverick” are meant to be experienced.

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