REVIEW: Top Gun: Maverick Is A True Summer Blockbuster
A little over thirty years ago, viewers were introduced to Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and Nick “Goose” Bradshaw, naval aviators who earned the opportunity to train at the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor Program, better known as Top Gun. Audiences were blown away by the impossible as Maverick and his fellow pilots completed death defying aerial feats while trying to earn top ranks in the program. Top Gun would go on to become a commercial hit and a massive summer blockbuster.
Maverick returns in Top Gun: Maverick; heading back to his roots at Top Gun after defying one too many orders from above. This time he’s a Flight instructor and is tasked with quickly training the highest ranking pilots that have come through Top Gun in recent years. These pilots are needed for a seemingly impossible mission and it is up to Maverick to prepare them. Seeing as Maverick knows a thing or two about the impossible, he believes that he is the best man for the job. When he encounters the son of his former wingman, and close friend, “Goose”, portrayed by Miles Teller, as a one of the pilots in the class, tensions soar. It’s now up to Maverick and these pilots to find a way to succeed in the mission.
The trend to create sequels from beloved films has been a hot one for the past few years with many of these sequels more misses than hits. That is not the case for Top Gun: Maverick. This film is not only as good as its predecessor, but some would even, dare I say it, say that it is better. From the extreme in-flight maneuvers to the use of real effects instead of CGI, this film is just an all-around good time. Which is not an easy feat for director Joseph Kosinski, who was given the difficult task of following up Tony Scott’s Top Gun. His direction, along with a killer screenplay from Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie, brings to life the focus and exact precision needed to pull off the impossible.
Cruise gives the performance of a lifetime as Maverick. His joy in returning to the role is palpable and his ability to fall back into the role of the charming, yet intense Naval pilot, was so easy it’s almost as if he’d never left it. Miles Teller steps into the role of Rooster, the son of Maverick’s former partner Goose. Teller’s comedic performance and how similar he looks to the actor that played Goose, Anthony Edwards, made him the perfect casting for this role.
Monica Barbaro (Lieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace), Lewis Pullman (Lieutenant Robert “Bob” Floyd), Jay Ellis (Lieutenant Reuben “Payback” Fitch), Danny Ramirez (Lieutenant Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia), and Greg Tarzan Davis (Lieutenant Javy “Coyote” Machado) round out the cadre of pilots or weapons system operators tasked with completing the mission. This was not an easy job for any of the actors, especially in the cockpit scenes, but each one does an amazing job.
Glen Powell is the clear standout in this film. His performance as Hangman is stellar and he completely steals every scene he is in. After watching his performance, it’s definitely understandable why the writers felt compelled to give him a meatier role after his audition.
Fans of the original film will want to keep an eye out for some familiar faces from the first film. While these scenes are short, they will definitely leave an impact on viewers
Top Gun: Maverick soars. There is no other way to describe it. It’s a fun, entertaining ride that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible. Do not miss out on what I would truly call the first 2022 Summer blockbuster.
Grade: A