Top Gun: Maverick - Review

Zooming through the sky with its loud, roaring engines and death-defying aerial stunts, Top Gun: Maverick fully delivers on all fronts while simultaneously surpassing the original and setting a new standard for legacy sequels.

Overall Score: 10/10

Image: Paramount Pictures

Soaring onto the big screen all the way back in 1986, Top Gun instantly became a huge hit with audiences around the world. Now, nearly four decades later, we have been treated to its long-awaited sequel in the form of Top Gun: Maverick. But, after having been let down by several of the other legacy sequels that have come out in the past few years, I have learned to remain skeptical and, in every case, to ask two very important questions: Is it a necessary follow-up and is it any good?

Well, I’m here to tell you that not only is this sequel a worthy successor to the original, it’s also better in nearly every way imaginable. This is, undoubtedly, thanks in large part to the film’s ability to deftly bank on most of the audience’s nostalgia and existing love for the main character and the fictional world he lives in. And while this is clearly a gimmick that’s used by studios and filmmakers far too often — and sometimes rather unjustifiably — nowadays, Top Gun: Maverick sets itself apart by showing us that it has every right to exist.

The plot, for instance, while still relatively straightforward and simplistic in nature, is far more engaging, compelling, and personal. What’s more, is it takes everything that worked — along with the things that didn’t — in the first movie and improves upon them. Whether it be the overall story, the interactions and dynamics between the different characters, the action sequences, or even the romantic subplot, everything is, simply put, better.

But perhaps the thing that stands out the most is Maverick’s own character arc. Having gone through over thirty years of life since we last saw him, he’s now acquired a great deal of experience and become a changed man. No longer is he the young, cocky hotshot pilot he once was, for he has grown into a seasoned professional who is running out of time (job-wise) and has regrets and past mistakes that haunt him. On top of that, he’s been recalled to TOPGUN to train a group of much younger past graduates (including Rooster, the son of his deceased friend Goose) to fly a mission that will likely mean suicide unless executed perfectly. And through all of this, Tom Cruise and the film’s writers have found a way to thoughtfully explore, re-examine, and progress the character, all the while giving him real and much-welcomed emotional depth.

Speaking of Cruise, he is, as usual, great and fun to watch. But what’s interesting is that we get to see him show off his often under-utilized dramatic acting skills as he is tasked with playing a version of his character that’s older, lost, and vulnerable. It’s not the most wow-inducing performance, but it’s one that’s surprisingly subtle, layered, and altogether masterful. And while he may have a plethora of other iconic characters he’s portrayed, this feels like a role that has been tailored specifically for the Tom Cruise that exists now in real life: an actor who, despite being much older than he once was, continues to give it his all and has a lot left to offer.

Similarly compelling is Miles Teller’s performance as Rooster. On the one hand, Teller perfectly emulates the subtleties and nuances in Anthony Edwards’s portrayal of his “father” Goose, but on the other, he brings so much more in terms of emotion and complexity, ultimately combining both to create a character that’s new, rich, and memorable. All throughout the movie, Teller, through Rooster, invokes the audience’s sympathy and empathy as we come to understand his pain, internal struggle, and the negative feelings he harbors against Maverick (with whom’s past self his arc parallels more often than one may realize).

As for the other characters, although they don’t receive all that much growth or development, we spend just enough time with each and every one of them to care and feel personally connected. This is especially true when it comes to Jennifer Connelly’s Penny, who I also feel is a much better fit and love interest for Cruise’s Maverick when compared to Kelly McGillis’s Charlie. Additionally, there’s a heartfelt scene between Cruise and returning co-star Val Kilmer (Iceman) that not only furthers the bond and lasting friendship between the two men’s respective characters, but also adds to the overall emotional weight of the story.

Aside from the acting, however, the film also excels in most, if not all, of the different technical fields within the world of cinema. Now, if you think that what was accomplished in the original was crazy enough already, think again, because Top Gun: Maverick does a lot of the impossible. There are a lot of cool and thrilling “how the heck did they do that” cinematography-related moments, for example, and the use of visual effects is so subtle that they appear to seamlessly blend in with all of the practical effects to the point where you might not even notice that they’re there. Furthermore, the work done by the editing and sound departments are top-notch, adding to the rich and thrilling experiences of all of the airborne action scenes.

Lastly, we have to talk about the amazing score. Produced by a dream team consisting of Harold Faltermeyer (who served as composer for the first film), Lorne Balfe (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Black Widow, and Ambulance), Hans Zimmer (who obviously needs no introduction), and Lady Gaga (yes, you read that correctly), the score is filled with an abundance of big, action-oriented tracks and some smaller but more thoughtful and emotional ones. Top Gun: Maverick’s score is a musical masterpiece and a testament to how well multiple musicians can work together, with the four artists’ different and rather distinct styles mixing and intertwining with one another in a surprisingly organic manner. Furthermore, it’s nice to see Gaga — in addition to writing the theme song “Hold My Hand” — have a go at film scoring, illustrating that there just may be no bounds to her artistic ability.

So, in response to the questions of whether or not this movie is any good and if it was necessary for it to have been made, I say, without a doubt, that the answer to both is a big, unwavering “yes.” Its plot is larger in scale and far more ambitious, the action is more thrilling and more intense, and the stakes are much, much higher. But despite all of that, at its core, it’s a crowd-pleaser that has a great, compelling, and emotionally resonant story, lots of nice little nostalgia-filled callbacks to the original, and an extremely satisfying emotional payoff at its end. And with all of this combined, Top Gun: Maverick manages to achieve the extremely rare feat of truly and completely surpassing its predecessor. And finally, regardless of what others may say, I argue that this isn’t just any legacy sequel, for I firmly believe that it is very much the legacy sequel (and one that puts all others to shame).