'Top Gun: Maverick' film review: The sequel fans deserve - and so much more
After years and years of delays, 'Top Gun: Maverick' (opening in theaters nationwide May 27) isn't just worth the wait - 'Maverick' sets a new standard for legacy sequels.
In short: More than 30 years after leaving the TOPGUN program, Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is still a Navy pilot - when he is asked to prepare a promising new group of pilots for a dangerous mission. Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm and Glen Powell also star.
Just so it's upfront: the original 1986 'Top Gun,' taken on its own merit, is not a good movie. The jingoistic recruitment ad is a shallow, simple and overrated little '80s relic self-contained little story of a cocky guy whose cockiness got his friend killed. This cartoon's "hero's journey" has Maverick "heroically" pushing through his grief … by reclaiming his cockiness (killing a few Russians along the way - and probably starting World War III). Yes 'Top Gun' has some unquestionably cool flight sequences - but it's a hollow movie with almost no dimension. All that said: 'Top Gun: Maverick' changes the legacy of the original film, with Maverick - decades later - still haunted by choices he made as a young hotshot pilot.
'Maverick' isn't merely just some excuse for more insanely breathtaking aerial sequences (don't worry: the third act is bonkers fun) - but this film is first and foremost a character study of a man stuck in life. Maverick is still very much the Maverick audiences knew - which is exactly his problem. Despite his nearly peerless talent and that fact that many of his contemporaries have become highly ranked Navy officers, Maverick is still an active pilot - and it's not just because he loves to fly. He's a man haunted by his best friend's death and unable to become more than "just a pilot." When this sequel was first announced, there was some "Wait - he's still a pilot?" confusion on social media - and this film is keenly aware how unusual it is for a character to essentially get stuck in life.
Rest assured: ‘Top Gun’ doesn’t just morph into some heady think piece - it’s a legit character study … layered atop one hell of an adrenaline-fueled ride. ‘Maverick’ is a cinematic spectacle that demands to be experienced on the biggest screen possible. The mind-boggling authenticity is absolutely jaw-dropping to look at and exhilarating to behold. Movie theaters were built for movies like ‘Maverick.’ This is an absolutely essential film of 2022 - one that doesn’t merely demand to be seen, but demands to be experienced in all its glory at the cinema.
It's obvious director Joseph Kosinski and co-writers Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie love the original movie - and sometimes this unabashed adoration could have been dialed back just a little. 'Maverick' simply did not need a love interest - yet Jennifer Connelly does her best to flesh out a paper-thin character who has very little influence on the story and no character arc. Theoretically her love interest character is there to help convince the otherwise rootless Maverick finally "put down some roots" - but her dialogue comes off as little more than Maverick's inner monologue ... just delivered by a separate character. She exists to tell Maverick what he already knows. The 1986 original and 'Maverick' generally share the same plot structure - down to the film's post-sortie conclusion. 'Maverick' is at its best when it adds depth to the original characters - but at times flirts with being too playfully derivative.
Final verdict: 'Maverick' is precisely the sequel audiences want, while adding some new surprising new depth to Maverick, the man and the pilot. Fans of the original will absolutely love this breathtaking sequel - and even those lukewarm on the original can totally embrace this fun and reflective ride.
Score: 4.5/5
'Top Gun: Maverick' opens in theaters nationwide on May 27. This action adventure is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action, and some strong language and has a runtime of 137 minutes.
