Luke McWilliams gives his review of the 2022 blockbuster action film, Top Gun: Maverick (M), starring Tom Cruise and Miles Teller.
Thirty-six years after the original, Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) has avoided countless chances of promotion to continue living his ‘simple’ life; riding his motorcycle and flying test jets. After his latest project’s funds are redirected, Maverick is called to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, aka ‘Top Gun’, by old adversary-turned-friend Admiral Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky (Val Kilmer), to train new elite recruits on a highly dangerous mission!
The first Top Gun (1986) was a phenomenon that established Tom Cruise as an action superstar. More about action, bravado and machismo, the movie ultimately lacked character, environment and stakes. Top Gun: Maverick more than makes up for it.
From the get-go, the audience is informed of Maverick’s ultimately lonely life which has seemingly plateaued. Eschewing naval career and personal advancement, Maverick is in arrested development, seemingly enjoying his bare-bones life. It is only with the presence of Lt Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Miles Teller), son of Maverick’s late flying partner and friend ‘Goose’, that the penny drops; Maverick has been afforded an opportunity to resolve the feelings of his greatest failure, to break out of his self-imposed limbo. The action sequences are intense and brilliantly mapped, and the mission stakes are clearly communicated and felt. It is a shame that the relationship and character of love-interest Penelope (Jennifer Connelly) is so half-baked in comparison.
Verdict: Not only a great sequel that surpasses the original, Top Gun: Maverick is a great movie in its own right. Cruise brings the old-fashioned blockbuster back! 4.5 stars.
- Luke McWilliams | themovieclub.net
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