Top Gun: Maverick

UK Release Date: 27 May 2022

Certification: 12A

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Monica Barbaro, Jennifer Connelly, Tom Cruise, Jon Hamm, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell, Bashir Salahuddin, Miles Teller

Rating: 82%

"I feel the need... The need for speed!" X2

Review:

Top Gun: Maverick is a must see cinema experience. A near forty years on from the original this stunning film breaths new life into the franchise becoming Tom Cruise's highest grossing movie of all time. 

No one is doing what Tom Cruise is doing today. At 59 years-old, he is the epitome of a real life action hero. He obviously expands upon the death-defying stunts that he's known for putting himself in the cockpit of a Boeing F/A 18F Super Hornet for the majority of the runtime, encouraging the other cast members to do the same. But this is one of Cruise's most endearing and emotional performances of his career so far. From subtle glances of grief and despair to his undying charisma - every single frame that he's in, he wants the audience to feel something and he easily accomplishes that. In a way Top Gun: Maverick feels like a celebration of Tom Cruise, thanking him for what he has done for the modern blockbuster. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that he has revolutionised cinema over the past twenty years. And really the film is a metaphor for Cruise's career - someone who is told to move on but won't until he is physically incapable to continue. 

The rest of the cast are great too, a huge improvement over the supporting members in Top Gun. I've still somehow not seen Whiplash but it's clear to see that Miles Teller can act as well as having an astonishing moustache. You see the sense of betrayal and hatred he holds towards Maverick but also the inner conflict as he searches for a father-like bond with Maverick. Jennifer Connelly as Penny is a much better love interest compared to Kelly McGillis. Her chemistry with Maverick comes naturally in less screen time due to the simplicity as Joseph Kosinki trusts the audience and doesn't need to spell everything out about the backstory of their relationship. Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell bring something to the table as the new Top Gun aviators. And Bashir Salahuddin plays the comic relief without ever detracting from the serious themes throughout the film. A special shoutout to Val Kilmer who's cancer story was incorporated beautifully providing a spectacularly emotional scene. 

I talked about it briefly before but the action is phenomenal. It develops the best aspect of Top Gun - the breathtaking set pieces - the training montages, the dogfights and the camera work are all out of this world. Yet, this could easily come off as shallow but the conflict has meaning to it. When Cruise demonstrates to his aviators that the mission isn't impossible (pun intended) it's powerful, it holds meaning. It's the exact same for the final action scene that goes on for what seems like days. It's impactful seeing Rooster and Maverick save each other. 

The movie holds off a little on the use of songs after the bombardment in Top Gun but One Republic's 'I Ain't Worried' is used well as the perfect backdrop to the topless American Football scene. Lady Gaga's 'Hold My Hand' is played as the credits roll and unlike 'Take My Breath Away' I wouldn't have minded if it featured throughout the runtime as it's brilliant. On top of this, Hans Zimmer provides the movie's original score. 'You're Where You Belong' is a heart wrenching piece, 'The Man, The Legend' is an excellent ending to the film and 'Top Gun Anthem'  is goosebump inducing. 

You can complain that Top Gun: Maverick is living off of 80's nostalgia, and whilst it's definitely there, flashback scenes and callbacks improve upon the original film. Whilst, the plot is simple and, in all honesty, quite goofy (I was left confused by the main mission due to how nonsensical it really was). But that's not the point of the film, It's there to entertain me and it achieved it's main goal. Although, it's so much more than that, you can tell a lot of time, care and love has been put into Top Gun: Maverick. It may come across as fairly straightforward or simple at times but in six months it will without doubt be on my top ten films of the year.