Top Gun: Maverick — A Nostalgia Heavy Legacy Sequel That Still Wins The Dogfight In The End
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.
Although Tony Scott’s 1986 film, Top Gun, features some iconic bits, it isn’t exactly a “good” film by any stretch. It’s arguably more of a vibe or mood than anything else, and while it’s not great — particularly by Tony Scott standards, whose career wouldn’t really explode until the early 90s (with bangers like True Romance and Crimson Tide) — its ridiculous brand of low-stakes action managed to somehow pierce the zeitgeist in ways that few films do. So, when it comes to piloting a sequel, the bar here was admittedly low, but Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick manages to clear it with flying colors and all the panache of a cocky pilot. But even though it leaves its predecessor in the dust, it should probably be said that for all its ambition and wickedly entertaining thrills — of which there is much — it opts to take the easiest possible route imaginable.
We will be the first to admit that Maverick is a pretty slick sequel, but also, if we’re being really honest, we’ve seen about 80% of this movie before. It’s essentially a more compelling, beat-for-beat rehash of Scott’s original that does the typical sequel thing of going bigger and raising the stakes higher. Of course, that’s also cut with the typical Tom Cruise “I hope I fucking die on camera” attitude, which naturally ups the ante of any action film he’s a part of because, like Maverick, he doesn’t have the ability to be a background character and must perpetually push the limits. For about two-thirds of the film, Maverick flies pretty much the exact same course as the original, shamelessly running through a checklist of nostalgia points along the way, some of which were more welcome than others, and it’s not really until the film’s final act that it comes into its own and really earns its keep.
The film’s ride is devoid of much turbulence and like its predecessor, it slowly builds up toward its final mission against its faceless enemy (which is totally Iran, but, hey, they didn’t say it). The only difference here is that the mission is seemingly suicidal and planned from the get-go, as opposed to an emergency "crisis situation." It suffers from the same pain points as the original, glossing over the fact that the action we see on screen is the kind of stuff that starts wars, but emphasizing anything that heavy would certainly detract from its entertaining, popcorn-munching thrills.
Speaking of its action: it’s absolutely top-notch and first-rate. By the time it finally reaches its third act, you’ll be utterly absorbed in its events, no matter how lukewarm you may feel about its build. The fact that they’re actually pulling Gs and strapping cameras to planes is a technical feat that certainly adds to the magic and gives everything a visceral feel that’s sorely lacking in Scott’s original. The only way the action could get any crazier is if they actually fired bullets and missiles at each other.
The direction is clean and assured. It honors Scott’s sun-soaked, magic hour aesthetic, while also managing to fly its own course. It balances sincerity and sappy sentiment fairly well, and although its narrative framework is a bit recycled, screenwriters Christopher McQuarrie, Eric Warren Singer, and Ehren Kruger manage to make it much more emotionally investing than its forerunner. They also give its trajectory more oomph and build up to a rousing finale that feels genuinely suspenseful, exhilarating, and most important of all: earned.
All the performances are pretty solid, but it’s Cruise, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Connelly that shine the brightest. Connelly in particular is just as radiant at 51 as she was in her younger years, and exudes a charm that’s hard to resist. Teller and Cruise both bring their trademark intensity and have great chemistry; it’s enjoyable watching them butt heads and bond. Val Kilmer’s reprise of Iceman is both cringey and commendable, as it uses his real-life illness in a meaningful way and even employs AI technology to give him some lines.
Even though Maverick flies a familiar course, it’s ultimately able to turn the dogfight around and win the day thanks to its bold maneuvers and electrifying artistry. Its action shines at the forefront, but it’s probably most impressive as a meta-commentary on Tom Cruise and how he just can’t let go and accept time as an enemy. It’s almost like he’s winking in the camera and saying, “I will never back down, even if it kills me.” If history proves correct, the massive box office haul Maverick has generated will likely lead to more Top Gun flicks, and while this legacy sequel’s flight is both fast and fun, we’re not really aching for more of this IP — even if Cruise is willing to take missile fire.
Recommendation: Top Gun: Maverick is a solid and slick legacy sequel that pretty effortlessly surpasses the relatively low bar of its predecessor. For most of its runtime, it’s a nostalgia rehash and narrative retread, but in its third act, it impressively manages to turn the dogfight around.
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