Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Laura’s Rating: 4/5 Stars
I love the first Top Gun movie so the sequel was long awaited for me as it was for many people. Despite the original film coming out 36 (!) years ago, the sequel was the perfect follow up. The movie broke several box office records during its opening weekend and is the highest grossing film of Tom Cruise’s career.
The Analysis:
Despite several decades of time, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell remains a Navy captain, avoiding promotions in order to keep flying and angering his superiors repeatedly. After his most recent stunt, he is ordered to return to the Top Gun flight school, but this time as a teacher. He must offer his experience to an elite group of cocky young pilots that are set to complete a dangerous impending mission.
Tom Cruise is the main original cast member to return and fit in seamlessly with the new cast. Val Kilmer also returns as Iceman for a brief cameo. I liked the addition of Jon Hamm as a naval air force commander and thought he played the part well. Miles Teller has been making a name for himself in Hollywood for a while now, but I predict that Top Gun: Maverick is his big break and we’ll be seeing him around a lot in the next few years.
You could still enjoy this movie if you haven’t seen the first one, but you’d miss some of the background that sets up this film (plus if you haven’t seen the original, you need to go watch it immediately). The soundtrack is not as killer as the original movie, but they did bring back some of the classic songs, which I enjoyed. The film had its own plot and a fresh cast, but still felt connected to the 80s classic, with occasional throwback footage and follow ups to events from the first film.
Overall, this movie is the perfect summer blockbuster. The flight scenes are fantastic, the star studded cast performs well, and there is action, suspense, and fun. I’d recommend the movie, especially to fans of the original.
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