Top Gun: Maverick

 Released: May 27th 2022

Directed By: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Charles Parnell

Legacy movies seem to be all the rage these days (Past massive cinematic universes that is). Some of pulled it off really well, with films like Blade Runner 2049 almost being better than the original, some not so well like independence day resurgence, some being a bit of fun to pass off as alright with Jurassic World, and some being The Force Awakens. How these movies do well is another story, now though the latest movie to try its hand at a legacy reboot is Top Gun. No matter what you think of the original it is fair to say that the cultural impact and quotability is much greater than any plot point in the originals story, with not much to go on past some manliness and jet fighters. Top Gun 2 however is a completely different story. From the get go you know the stakes are higher and actually manages to make the "fish out of water" old guard trope actually work quite well with very strong performances from across the board. What stands out to me the most is you can actually feel the danger and the tension for every character in the film, and does what other Tom Cruise flicks of recent have done with pacing just as well. Where this stands out over films like ID2 and Force awakens is that balance between story and fan pleasure while makings sure pacing is working in the films favour. On top of that you get the joy of a visually stunning film as well with every scene looking as real as it can be ( so go to the cinema !! ) which only makes those moments of tension that much more exciting. Ultimately it would be very easy to walk into this film and go " its going to be about growing old, regret, moving with technology.." and so on, and you would be right this film is about most of these things, but at the centre it still has a heart, still tells a good story and still keeps you on the edge of your seat with fear and excitement while wetting your appetite with the occasional reference and Easter egg. And yes there are some parts that don't quite land for me, but what results is a film much better than the original, one which will certainly appeal to young and old fans and one of the few legacy films which knocks some emotion home by the end credits. Was it worth the Pandemic wait? In short: Absolutely.

My rating 9/10 

Image subject and copyright to Paramount pictures I do not own this image.