Top Gun: Maverick Gives Fans An Electrifying Sequel That'll Take Their Breath Away

    

      When looking back at the biggest blockbuster films of the 1980's, very few managed to take the audiences breath away like Tony Scott's Top Gun did. Released in 1986, the film became a box office smash that put Tom Cruise on the map to becoming a major star while showcasing groundbreaking aeriel footage that electrified audiences along with an unforgettable soundtrack. With how influential Top Gun managed to become, it's no surprise that a sequel was in high demand. After spending years in development hell and experiencing numerous delays due to COVID-19, the long-awaited sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" finally arrives and delivers a stunning crowd-pleasing sequel that outshines it's original

      Set 36 years after the original, the sequel finds Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) being brought back to the aeriel combat school  called Top Gun to train a group of new elite fliers for a dangerous mission to destroy a uranium enrichment plant. Making a long-distant sequel is by no means an easy feat but Maverick stunningly pulls it off in a form that stays true to the past while moving the story into a newer era. For those who grew up loving the original Top Gun, they'll be thrilled to discover that Maverick is an even more satisfying experience that maintains the originals  groundbreaking edge along with possessing a surprising amount of heart.  

      As far as performances go, Maverick's cast is on top form here with everyone bringing their A game to the sequel. Cruise is riveting as an older and wiser Captain Maverick struggling to stay relevant in a field that's tilting increasingly towards self-piloting. Along with Cruise, Miles Teller leaves a huge impression with audiences in playing Lt. Rooster, son of Maverick's late best friend, Goose. Teller completely convinced with his characters frustration towards Maverick, as well as desiring to follow in his fathers shoes. Cruise and Teller showcase strong chemistry while conveying the pain that both still feel over Goose's death. Jennifer Connelly is terrific as Maverick's rekindled love interest Penny, whose a single mother, bar owner, and daughter of a former admiral. Val Kilmer reprises his role as Iceman in a special appearance that'll leave fans of the original satisfied. Jon Hamm does great as Vice Admiral Cyclone, who strongly opposes Maverick's return to Top Gun despite his qualifications. The newer additions to the cast deliver noteworthy performances including

Glen Powell in a surprisingly strong role as F/A-18F mission candidate and Roosters rival Hangman with Lewis Pullman also impressing as Lt. Bob Floyd, Monica Barbara as Lt. Phoenix Trace, and Ed Harris as Rear Admiral Chester, Mavericks superior and head of the Darkstar program. Overall, Maverick's cast brings both charm and heart to the sequel, making it work effectively.

      Replacing the late Tony Scott in the directors chair is Joseph Kosinski. The latter does an exceptional job of honoring Scott's work on the previous Top Gun by sticking close to the formers directorial style, while further advancing the technological aspects of the story. Like the previous film, Kosinski fills the story with intense aeriel combat that's breathtaking to watch, particularly with using never before seen technology including cameras inside the fighter jets showing the actors flying the planes themselves which adds to the surreal feel of the story. Kosinski incorporates the same type of visual stamp that Scott added in Top Gun with certain scenes containing beautiful sunset shots, along with ones involving Maverick's character riding a motorcycle. At 137 minutes, Maverick is fast-paced with its length never becoming apparent to the audience. The soundtrack consists of original memorable pieces such as "Danger Zone" to enormous effect with Hans Zimmer's score adding to the stories power. Although the films new song "Hold My Hand "sung by Lady Gaga doesn't outdo the impact of Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," it still packs a tremendous punch in driving the stories main narrative. 

      With Maverick's story, the script conveys a powerful message regarding how ones own life experience can enhance their growth and change of perspective. Maverick's character is shown as still being haunted by Goose's death with him fearing a similar fate with Rooster. Their conflict is convincingly played out as Maverick struggles to let go of the past for the sake of Rooster's future. The romance between Maverick and Penny comes off as feeling natural with Maverick having someone to confide in regarding his dilemma with training Rooster. Maverick and Iceman's friendship is shown to have endured in between the two movies with the latter looking after Maverick's career. Some of the other themes explored in Maverick besides risk taking and testing one limits, include the future of air combat as Maverick is told by his superiors that his time with flying is numbered as well as his students, though he constantly disobeys orders to show his commanders that actual pilots are still vital to carrying out pivotal missions. The dialogue throws out key motivational lines such as "Trust your gut," or Maverick's character explaining that being a pilot "is not what I am, it's who I am," emphasizing his passion for flying. Like the original Top Gun, the enemies identity is left a mystery for the audience to figure out. The best part of Maverick's script is how true to feels to its main character with Maverick finding his hook as being a navy test pilot turned instructor, while leaving enough room for his character arc to grow through confronting his past.

      With the current cinematic landscape being heavily comic book driven, it's refreshing to have Maverick come along that's designed to represent the best form of popcorn blockbusters while greatly surprising with its quality as a superior sequel. All of the things that audiences love about the original Top Gun are present from the reprisal of the "Danger Zone" theme to a brand new Volleyball sequence involving Maverick's students. Given the rarity of sequels matching their predecessors legacy, Maverick doing so is a crown achievement for all of those involved.

Final Verdict: A must see for both Top Gun and Tom Cruise fans. 

Images Courtesy Of Paramount Pictures