Top Gun: Maverick (A or 4/4 stars)
Filled with nostalgic music, callbacks to the original, some satisfying emotional connections, & the best aviation sequences ever put on the big screen, 'Top Gun: Maverick' (Directed by Joseph Kosinski) - sequel to 1986's box office juggernaut, Top Gun - roaaarrrs into theaters. For as much as the '86 film is iconic & unforgettable, I actually think that this thrilling blockbuster sequel is better than original; eclipsing it on nearly every technical & emotional front except for various intangibles. Tom Cruise returns as Capt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell; defiant, daredevil test pilot for the Navy's top-secret Mach 10 jet program. But when that's shut down, he is ordered to return to San Diego's legendary 'Top Gun' program to serve as an instructor.
That's at the request of his friend/wingman/former rival Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer), although Vice-Admiral Beau Simpson (Jon Hamm) is less than happy to have Maverick back. As it turns out, a foreign nation is going to start enriching uranium and, the U.S. government wants to execute a preemptive strike. The problem? The mission is near-suicidal, as it is located in a weaponized mountainous valley that would require expertise flying skills in older jets that have the best chance of traversing the dangerous terrain at low altitudes & insane speeds. Maverick's task - when he's not romancing his former flame/bar owner, Penny (Jennifer Connelly) - is to decipher which hotshot Top Gun grads are best suited for the deadly mission.
Among those are cocky rivals Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin (Glen Powell) & Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), with the latter holding a long-standing grudge with instructor Maverick; who once flew with his father, "Goose" (Anthony Edwards). Goose was killed in the line of duty when Rooster was just a boy and, feeling immense guilt over the accidental death, Maverick had previously prevented the son from following in his father's doomed footsteps. With mere weeks to prepare, Maverick must contend with conflicts surrounding Rooster, Admiral "Iceman" Kazansky, & on again-off again love interest, Penny ... while also ensuring that his elite team survive the precarious mission. Enthralling action & emotional turbulence ensues.
Wow, what a movie! A real Movie-Movie, as I affectionately call them -- the kind that used to enthrall audiences & leave them energized as they exited the theater to tell their loved ones how "cool that movies was". Simple; straightforward; exciting; propulsive; well performed; great music; emotional; and executed with aplomb -- THAT is 'Top Gun: Maverick'. Director Joseph Kosinski, editor Eddie Hamilton, cinematographer Claudio Miranda, and writers Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer & Christopher McQuarrie provide the foundation of nostalgic entertainment & the 'need for speed' that we all enjoy.
The aerial sequences {right off the bat, a few amazing ones in the middle, the ending} are simply incredible to watch and, at Tom Cruise's behest, without CGI enhancement. You know, the beauty of this film - aside from the performances, nostalgia & such - is that the deadly mission that these fliers go on is detailed & described to such an extent that we ultimately feel like we, OURSELVES, have been through the training & know what to expect. Thusly, when the mission does kick-off, we are fully invested, and everyone involved delivers one of the great action climaxes ever put up on the big screen.
Tom Cruise gives one of his most convincing & humane performances; evoking genuine emotional involvement as his Maverick looks to let go of the past, while simultaneously trying not to destroy his present & future. Jennifer Connelly's Penny is very likeable and, she has an easy chemistry with Cruise which adds - not detracts - from the proceedings. The whole cast is a joy: Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro (as "Phoenix"), Greg Tarzan Davis ("Coyote"), Danny Ramirez ("Fanboy), Lewis Pullman ("Bob"), Bashir Salahuddin, Charles Parnell, & a cameo from Ed Harris. With keen direction, adrenaline-fueled aerial dogfights, pulse-pounding music by Hans Zimmer & a song assist from Lady Gaga ... 'TG: Maverick' fires on all cylinders.
That's at the request of his friend/wingman/former rival Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Val Kilmer), although Vice-Admiral Beau Simpson (Jon Hamm) is less than happy to have Maverick back. As it turns out, a foreign nation is going to start enriching uranium and, the U.S. government wants to execute a preemptive strike. The problem? The mission is near-suicidal, as it is located in a weaponized mountainous valley that would require expertise flying skills in older jets that have the best chance of traversing the dangerous terrain at low altitudes & insane speeds. Maverick's task - when he's not romancing his former flame/bar owner, Penny (Jennifer Connelly) - is to decipher which hotshot Top Gun grads are best suited for the deadly mission.
Among those are cocky rivals Lt. Jake "Hangman" Seresin (Glen Powell) & Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), with the latter holding a long-standing grudge with instructor Maverick; who once flew with his father, "Goose" (Anthony Edwards). Goose was killed in the line of duty when Rooster was just a boy and, feeling immense guilt over the accidental death, Maverick had previously prevented the son from following in his father's doomed footsteps. With mere weeks to prepare, Maverick must contend with conflicts surrounding Rooster, Admiral "Iceman" Kazansky, & on again-off again love interest, Penny ... while also ensuring that his elite team survive the precarious mission. Enthralling action & emotional turbulence ensues.
Wow, what a movie! A real Movie-Movie, as I affectionately call them -- the kind that used to enthrall audiences & leave them energized as they exited the theater to tell their loved ones how "cool that movies was". Simple; straightforward; exciting; propulsive; well performed; great music; emotional; and executed with aplomb -- THAT is 'Top Gun: Maverick'. Director Joseph Kosinski, editor Eddie Hamilton, cinematographer Claudio Miranda, and writers Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer & Christopher McQuarrie provide the foundation of nostalgic entertainment & the 'need for speed' that we all enjoy.
The aerial sequences {right off the bat, a few amazing ones in the middle, the ending} are simply incredible to watch and, at Tom Cruise's behest, without CGI enhancement. You know, the beauty of this film - aside from the performances, nostalgia & such - is that the deadly mission that these fliers go on is detailed & described to such an extent that we ultimately feel like we, OURSELVES, have been through the training & know what to expect. Thusly, when the mission does kick-off, we are fully invested, and everyone involved delivers one of the great action climaxes ever put up on the big screen.
Tom Cruise gives one of his most convincing & humane performances; evoking genuine emotional involvement as his Maverick looks to let go of the past, while simultaneously trying not to destroy his present & future. Jennifer Connelly's Penny is very likeable and, she has an easy chemistry with Cruise which adds - not detracts - from the proceedings. The whole cast is a joy: Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro (as "Phoenix"), Greg Tarzan Davis ("Coyote"), Danny Ramirez ("Fanboy), Lewis Pullman ("Bob"), Bashir Salahuddin, Charles Parnell, & a cameo from Ed Harris. With keen direction, adrenaline-fueled aerial dogfights, pulse-pounding music by Hans Zimmer & a song assist from Lady Gaga ... 'TG: Maverick' fires on all cylinders.