It was a long time coming but it’s so worth the wait. Top Gun: Maverick is a full-throttle adrenaline rush from start to finish.
It’s rare that a sequel is better than the original but this one is, by far. It still has all the elements that made it an ‘80s classic, from Tom Cruise strutting his stuff and flying planes like no one’s business to an outstanding score. But in this film the emotion is much deeper, the flying scenes are truly astonishing and the storyline, if a little predictable at times, immensely satisfying.
Cruise is at the top of his game in this one. He’s back in his iconic role of Pete Mitchell, a.k.a. Maverick, pushing the envelope and breaking the rules, making the impossible just part of a day’s work. That disregard for authority and rules land him back at Top Gun, the flight school for the Navy’s best fighter pilots. His job is to train a team of young fighter pilots for what is essentially a suicide mission.
You expect – and get – breathtaking flying scenes and an homage to the 1986 original with throwback music riffs and flashbacks to the first film. If you saw the original, you may find yourself right back there, feeling the need for speed. Maverick goes beyond the nostalgic touchstones to Top Gun one with acting that is really outstanding. Tom Cruise’s performance was stellar, imbuing every scene with intense emotion. The actors portraying the new team of pilots are sure to grace more films. Miles Teller is exceptional in the role of “Rooster” the son of Maverick’s beloved wingman Goose, who died in the first movie. Monica Barbaro plays Lt. “Phoenix” Trace, one of the most talented of the team. I particularly enjoyed the glib, understated performance of Lewis Pullman who portrays Lt. Robert Floyd, call sign “Bob.”
Tom Cruise, who was one of the producers of the movie, gave the story a truly powerful and heart-felt performance, touching on the things that terrify us – losing the things that matter the most to us. For the character of Maverick, that isn’t just the thought of pilots being replaced by drones, it’s about friendship and trust. He is still haunted by Goose’s death, a matter made excruciatingly worse when Rooster is assigned to Maverick’s team. The relationship between the two, more “father to son” than “mentor to student”, is at the heart of the story.
And speaking of heart, the return of another of the original team, Ice Man, played by Val Kilmer, is heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time. Throughout the film we hear that Admiral Tom Kazansky, Ice Man, has been saving Maverick’s career for more than 30 years, pulling him out of whatever firestorm the pilot has created and ensuring he stays in the skies. But now Ice Man is dying of cancer, and in an all-too-brief scene Kilmer and Cruise are back together. The scene, which mirrors Kilmer’s real-life battle with throat cancer, exudes genuine pain, friendship and love.
Several times in the film Maverick says being a fighter pilot is “where he belongs.” He’s right, he needs to be in that cockpit. And Tom Cruise is also where he belongs – on the big screen, in a film that is destined to be one of the summer – or maybe the decade’s – biggest hits.