36 years after the original, a sequel to Top Gun (1986) is finally here, with Oblivion (2013) director Joseph Kosinski taking over from the great Tony Scott, who always wanted to make a sequel, but just never managed to get it off the ground before his tragic death in 2012. Tom Cruise of course reprises his role as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, who, after over 30 years of service has purposely dodged an advancement in rank to continue being a test pilot. One day, Maverick is put in charge of training a group of Top Gun graduates for a specialised mission under the orders of his friend and former rival, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, the commander of the US Pacific Fleet. Among the graduates is Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late best friend Nick “Goose” Bradshaw.
I’m a massive fan of the original film, its a cheesy 80’s classic like no other, and I would have been more than satisfied if the second one was just a big fun cheese fest or even a worthy progression of the original, but this film goes far beyond anything I could have imagined. I’ve always been of the belief that sequels are so rarely better than the original film, in fact I could probably count on one hand the amount of times I believe its happened, but Top Gun: Maverick can certainly be added to that list. It is the perfect blend of everything a blockbuster is meant to be.
The practical effects are just incredible. Through every training session, every dogfight, and especially the final mission, you are made to feel like you are in the cockpit, creating a visceral thrill ride from start to finish, and one of the most pulse pounding finales I’ve seen in a long long time. However, all this wouldn’t have hit if this film didn’t have any heart, but it has it in abundance. Tom Cruise turns in possibly the most vulnerable performance of his illustrious career, and Maverick’s relationship with Rooster, Goose’s son, is where the film truly soars. A fairly predictable arc perhaps, but these two characters in particular are written so well that that doesn’t matter in the slightest. What a performance Miles Teller gives as Rooster, alongside Cruise, and the drama between them had me tearing up on more than one occasion. In a day and age where so many big budget sequels now are just soulless, empty spectacle, this couldn’t be more different. The entire supporting cast are great too, John Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, they all play their parts more than well. Yes, it still has cheese, it still has people playing beach sports in jeans, it still has Maverick on his motorbike and it still has Danger Zone. But, perhaps my favourite element of this film was that nods to the original aren’t there to trick us into thinking what we are watching is better than it really is, or as cheap fan service, but to support the thematic centre of THIS film. A truly perfect balance of understanding that you need call-backs, without using them as a crutch.
Top Gun: Maverick really is firing on all cylinders, from the writing and cinematography, to the score and the acting, everything combined creates a true cinematic experience, one that I’d implore you to see on the big screen. An incredible achievement by everyone involved, especially director Joseph Kosinski, in just his 4th feature film. He had big shoes to fill, making a sequel nearly 4 decades later, but what he has made far surpassed anything I hoped for. Tony Scott would have been proud.
CinemaStance 