Top Gun: Maverick Film Review (No Spoilers)

'Top Gun' Skydance Media and Paramount Pictures

Audiences were introduced to Top Gun in 1986 and after 36 years a sequel has finally arrived. Tom Cruise (Top Gun, Mission: Impossible, Jerry Maguire) returns in an ageless fashion to showcase this original, heartfelt story on a MUCH bigger scale.

Synopsis:

"After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it."

What You See, Feel, and Hear

Much of the quality of a film comes down to how much detail one is willing to obtain and provide in regards to the story and cinematography. Per request from Tom Cruise, no aerial shots were filmed with a green screen or CGI, but rather with real jets. This created an obstacle in filming much more footage than normal in order to have the exact shots necessary. Even Miles Teller (Whiplash, Bleed for This, Divergent) stated that they filmed more footage than all three of The Lord of the Rings films. The upside? You notice that difference clearly on screen. With scenes filled with action and adventure shots Top Gun: Maverick prepares itself for CGI and special effects, however the result of using practical effects created an outcome completely opposite to the one they would have received by taking the shortcuts.

The story hits on every emotional aspect that a viewer wants to feel. The high and low emotional moments weren't surprising, however they felt a bit unpredictable which ultimately felt refreshing and worth investing your attention for 2 hours and 17 minutes. Many sequels that have multi-year pauses fall into the trap of relying fully on the nostalgia from their previous films in order to propel the following story. Luckily, Top Gun: Maverick didn't saturate the nostalgia from 1986's Top Gun, but rather used the perfect amount to bring audiences to an unthinking smile and unexpected tears.

Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer and Hans Zimmer provide a chilling score that enhances each emotional moment. Though, Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer are the only actors returning from the original film, there's no disappointment in the sentiment that is shown between their characters. With Val Kilmer (Tombstone, Heat, The Doors) losing his voice due to throat cancer the moments with him on screen could have felt forced for the wrong reasons however Director Joseph Kosinski organically positioned Kilmer in a way that felt complimentary to the story and to his character.

My Take

As we inch closer to the halfway point of 2022 Top Gun: Maverick sits next to The Batman as one of the best films of the year so far. I'm not the biggest fan of Tom Cruise's work, though I find his durability and willingness to perform extreme sequences on his own admirable. With iconic performances in the many Mission: Impossible films, The Last Samurai, War of the Worlds, or even Jerry Maguire I believe that Top Gun: Maverick is Cruise's best performance up to date. The film had a few "cheesy" moments that resembled similarities to its predecessor, however the detail in cinematography and filming paired together with a story that had natural obstacles for everyone to relate with made this a well rounded film for everyone to enjoy regardless if you're a returning fan of Top Gun or experiencing this film strictly as a fan of cinema.

Grade: 8.7/10