Review: Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick, directed by Joseph Kosinski, is the highly-anticipated 2022 sequel to Tony Scott’s 1986 blockbuster Top Gun. The action franchise focuses on a United States Naval program, nicknamed Top Gun, that teaches fighter and strike tactics and techniques to a select group of naval aviators and flight officers.

After more than 30 years of service, Top Gun: Maverick follows Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) as he returns to the Top Gun programme as an instructor. He is tasked with teaching a select group of Top Gun graduates how to approach a special assignment that will push the limits of what is physically possible. As the class quickly lose hope in the possibility of the assignment ever being flown, it seems that only Maverick can lead them. Maverick must then choose who will fly with him in this perilous mission, all whilst facing the demons of his past.

As the sequel to a classic like Top Gun (1986), Top Gun: Maverick had big shoes to fill. The original Top Gun saw Maverick as a reckless and arrogant fighter pilot, attending the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School. Maverick was flying head to head against his new rival, Iceman (Val Kilmer), and fighting for the love of his flight instructor, Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). Top Gun ends with the death of Maverick’s partner Goose (Anthony Edwards). After his close friend’s passing, Maverick and Iceman eventually work as a team to successfully fend off enemy planes. Maverick’s relationship with Charlotte, his connection to Iceman, and his guilt over Goose’s passing all play significant roles in the film’s sequel: Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise and Teller have brilliant on-screen chemistry and Teller shines in this role

The most important graduate to return to the Top Gun programme is certainly Rooster (Miles Teller), Goose’s son. Rooster’s appearance completely throws Maverick, digging up the grief and remorse that he has associated with the passing of his flying partner. Cruise and Teller have brilliant on-screen chemistry and Teller shines in this role, matching the presence that Cruise brings to all of his roles. Teller shows depth as well as strength in this role, providing another layer of tragedy to Goose’s death in Top Gun, especially since Maverick represents the loss of his father. Rooster is the physical manifestation of Maverick’s guilt and shame. For them to succeed in their assignment, Maverick and Rooster must accept what they represent for each other and move towards acceptance, if they have any chance of surviving the mission.

The use of practical effects during Top Gun: Maverick’s flight sequence’s is breath-taking

Top Gun: Maverick features almost no CGI, favouring stunning flight sequences that use real fighter jets. The cast sat behind the jets’ pilots and would be filmed as the Naval pilots actually flew. As well as keeping with Cruise’s love for performing his own stunts, the use of practical effects during Top Gun: Maverick’s flight sequences are breathtaking and feel very authentic in such a high-stakes film. The visuals are stunning, and the lack of CGI and VFX allows for the film to stand out in a highly-saturated CGI landscape.

One of the only ways that I can fault Top Gun: Maverick is when comparing its soundtrack to that of its predecessor, Top Gun. Focussing on the soundtrack’s lead song, choosing a beloved vocalist like Lady Gaga was definitely a smart move. However, I do not believe that ‘Hold My Hand’ will ever become as iconic as Berlin’s ‘Take My Breath Away’. The entire soundtrack of Top Gun is nostalgic, and harks back to such an incredible era for both film and music. In comparison, Top Gun: Maverick’s soundtrack feels fairly underwhelming.

Verdict:

Top Gun: Maverick completely exceeded my expectations. Living up to the original Top Gun was no mean feat, and in all honesty, I may have even preferred the sequel. Cruise is in his element throughout the film, yet I believe that it is Teller who has sealed Top Gun: Maverick’s success. The plot is fairly predictable, yet it manages to grip you nonetheless. The practical effects used in the action sequences are incredible, and the film is visually astonishing. I cannot fault Top Gun: Maverick for its ambition, and I believe that it accomplished everything that it set out to do. Even if you aren’t a fan of the original, Top Gun: Maverick is definitely one to watch, and then inevitably re-watch.