Top Gun: Maverick (2022) flies into theaters, and you’re not going to want to miss this one on the biggest screen possible. Director Joseph Kosinski and the team of writers that crafted this long-awaited sequel nailed it. The story is written in such a way that newcomers can jump right in and enjoy it, but those who know the original will be rewarded with references and characters. Maverick loves to go fast, and this film moves despite its over two-hour runtime.
Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) has been flying for over thirty years, as he feels he belongs in the sky. After an incident in which he expects to lose his spot in the Navy, he is unexpectedly led back to where it all started…Top Gun. Now, tasked with teaching elite pilots a very specific mission, Maverick finds himself confronting a number of personal issues as well as the possibility of losing the one thing he has ever truly loved: flying.
Cruise owns the silver screen. You can love him or hate him off the screen, but he is truly undeniable as a movie star. Returning to a character that helped propel him to that status only seems fitting, as he owns every second of it. Cruise had promised us spectacle, and Top Gun brings everything we could want from a summer blockbuster: innovative cinematography of the pilots in the cockpits, intense action set to booming music, and beach sports! Top Gun has all of the popcorn-munching action we expect from a summer movie, and Cruise is at the helm.
Not to take away from some incredible performances from the young stars, like Miles Teller as callsign Rooster, Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, and Louis Pullman as Bob. The film also has great performances from Jennifer Connelly and John Hamm. The relationships between the characters are vital and make you really connect to the story.
All in all, the characters are compelling, it’s a throwback to the ’80s in the best way possible, and it continues to add to the story without feeling like you need to see the original. I expected to enjoy the movie, but I wasn’t really expecting to love it as much as I did. The audience in my screening cheered and applauded multiple times, and I was right there with them. The film had plenty of laughs and reminded all of us of why we like to go to the theaters. Top Gun: Maverick earns the Must See rating.
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