Oh, hello there. Just like Top Gun: Maverick, I have decided to come back and revive a long dormant thing that you didn’t know you needed in your life until you saw it come back.
I was never really a fan of the first Top Gun. I saw it once during the pandemic because of my then girlfriend worshiped at the altar of Tom Cruise, and I finally wanted to understand the context of the famous volleyball scene. The movie was fine. The sexual tension between Tom Cruise and essential anything else that was on screen (except Kelly McGillis) is something couples have strived for since.. The fighter jet scenes left a lot to be desired.
Top Gun: Maverick not only improves everything the first did well, but adds magnificent jet fighter cinematography that provides you with best type of action scenes you didn’t know you needed.
Tom Cruise is Maverick. In this movie more so than the first one. I like to imagine that this movie is a light nod to Tom Cruise himself. They do in a way lightly reflect the reality of his career. Maverick, just like Tom Cruise, is still doing what he always did well, continuing pushing the limits like no one else, being a maverick. His colleagues have since taken a more expected and respectful career paths, collecting accolades, but he still stays in his lane and delivers results people cannot even fathom.
Even though we have a star studded roster of top gun students (Glen Powell is a standout), the focus remains on Maverick and his journey of dealing with growing old, taking accountability for his mistakes, and responsibility for training the next generation of stars. I mean pilots. Even though the new generation is not there yet and he is still the king, this movie is a beautiful nod to him realizing that he cannot keep doing this forever and that he needs to pass the torch at some time. Or Xenu can keep him forever young and he can be our #1 action star for the next 20 years.
I saw the movie in IMAX, and so should you. The bigger screen and better sound brings out more out of the high altitude chases and manoeuvring. It is certainly worth paying the extra price. I think I haven’t enjoyed an action movie this much since Mission Impossible: Fallout (Its almost like Tom Cruise knows a thing or two about making action flicks)
TLDR: Better than the first one in every manner, the cinematography of the fighter jets is mesmerizing. The most personal performance from Tom Cruise. A must watch IMAX experience.