A Reel Review - TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Hollywood’s shiny new toy these days is the Legacy Sequel; a sequel that follows the continuity of the original film(s), but takes place further down the timeline, and released decades later.  Big-time franchises such as STAR WARS and GHOSTBUSTERS have capitalized on the idea, and now it’s time for the 1986 Navy-fighter jet actioneer TOP GUN to take a turn in the pilot’s seat. 

 

Thirty years after the events of the first film, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), is assigned the task of training a new batch of recruits for a dangerous, vital mission that pushes the abilities of aviation. 

 

Directed by Joseph Kosinski and co-produced by Cruise, TOP GUN: MAVERICK is a simple, yet layered tale of redemption and military might. Maverick has his hands full from the start; despite being a legend in U.S. Navy aviation, he finds himself un-promotable, and perhaps a relic of a bygone era as drones are taking over the combat skies. Once he gets sent back to the Top Gun school to train the current batch of hotshots for the mission, which includes Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s dead best-friend “Goose”, he finds himself grappling with his past while getting his team ready for a mission that is (ahem), impossible. 

 

The mission, which involves bombing a nuclear facility in an un-named country, requires the pilots to navigate a twisting valley at insane speeds at a low altitude, and then an egress at more-insane speeds with face-smashing g-forces. To bring this pray-for-a-miracle to film, Kosinski and Cruise ditch the Hollywood crutch of CGI and commit fully to some impressive, stunning, and breathtaking filmmaking techniques. Cameras are mounted inside and around the fighter jets, leading to one incredible sequence after another. Despite the spectacle, the film is still character-driven, with the conflicting characters being the driving force for everything that happens. 

 

Legacy sequels often bank on nostalgia, and MAVERICK does not hit the eject button on that one. Elements, characters, and music (wonderfully scored by Hans Zimmer), from the first TOP GUN return, but the film does not lean on them and instead uses them to layer the plot nicely. There is a ton of emotion to get through, and it flies very well. MAVERICK also smartly doesn't rely on a ton of homework or a re-watch of the original film, as it fills in the backstories on its own very well. 

 

The entire cast is outstanding. Tom Cruise puts in one of his best performances; still showing the go-it-alone attitude of his old character while still carrying heavy burdens. Jennifer Connelly comes in as an old flame of Maverick’s and is excellent, acting as a new anchor for him. Jon Hamm and Ed Harris arrive as commanding officers who give Maverick a hard time about everything and are well-cast. Val Kilmer makes an effective cameo as the (now) Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in one of the most emotional scenes ever put into an action film. The rest of the cast, including Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman (son of Bill), and Monica Barbaro are excellent. 

 

MAVERICK has a lot of heart, and it all funnels into an explosive last half-hour as the mission takes off and goes up and down more times than can be counted. The end result is a thrilling and mind-blowing cinematic experience that ranks up there as not just one of the best Legacy Sequels, but one of the best sequels, period. Strap in and hold tight, because MAVERICK fills the cinematic need for speed and a whole lot more. 

 

BOTTOM LINE: See it