“Top Gun: Maverick” Movie Review by Ana Sofia Cintrón (@Ana_Sofia53). #TopGun #TopGunMaverick
We live in a time when reboots, remakes, sequels, and even prequels have become the norm at production studios. From TV shows to movies, we already have a pretty full list this year, and 2022 isn’t even over yet. Within that list is your favorite dad movie, 1986 Top Gun; has joined the bandwagon with Top Gun: Maverick.
Thirty Years after the original, Tom Cruise is back on reprising one of his beloved characters, Pete Mitchell “Maverick”. Where he finds himself, training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen. When it comes to sequels, most of the time they tend to be overshadowed or forgotten. There’s this phenomenon that sequels never can be the equal to its original. However, there are rare cases, such as 2017 Paddington 2, where the sequel is better than the original. Could we say the same with Top Gun: Maverick?
When the movie starts, you’re greeted with yellow hues and the iconic soundtrack. Taking you on a flight down memory lane. Of course, paying respects to the original doesn’t hurt anybody, but what started as a tribute it progressively molded into its own identity. Maverick finds himself at a crossroads when he finds out that one of the students is LT. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, aka. Goose’s son (played by Miles Teller). Creating a rift and dynamic that served as a good plot point within the film.
Compare to the original, here we get to see real character development and a full fleshed romance with actual chemistry (love interest played by Jennifer Connelly)
Surprisingly, this movie is quite moving. An emotional punch if you ask me. We had Maverick, haunted by his past who doesn’t want to make the same mistake again and on the other side, Goose is fighting his dad’s shadow. Both of these enhanced an emotional turmoil through the movie that led to an emotional payoff at the end. However, the most heartfelt scene from the whole movie was with Val Kilmer reprising his character “Iceman”. The audience found themselves witnessing a very intimate scene between Maverick and Iceman that left us shedding a couple of tears.
One of the things that 1986 Top Gun, left me was desiring more action sequences. It was a big check that needed to be crossed on my list of expectations with this sequel. So when the movie hits that sweet third act, they definitely deserve understood the assignment. Plane tricks, cool aerial shots and dogfights that would leave you on the edge of your seat! A wonderful blend of CGI and realness, with top-notch cinematography. After I saw the behind the scenes of how they made the practical effects, I found myself appreciating this film more than I already had. (Click here for video)
To answer your question, Top Gun:Maverick belongs on the rare list of perfect sequels. Joseph Kosinski executes a flawless example of how a film can surpass its predecessor, while still pays tribute to the original. Top Gun:Maverick is an epic story filled with adrenaline & heartfelt moments that simply takes your breath away. Staggering actions sequences. Especially that exhilarating & chair-gripping third act that you cannot miss. Tom Cruise shows that he’s still one of the best from his class; it felt like a sincere love letter to his career. You can feel how much love and passion they put on making this. This movie was made to be watched in theaters, and definitely a great blockbuster to kick off the summer vibes.
