Top Gun: Maverick Review

The Top Gun franchise is back with its second installment, Top Gun: Maverick.  

Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) has been one of the Navy’s top fighter pilots for the past thirty years.  He has extensive experience as a combat and test pilot and is highly decorated in both areas. However, he never rose above the rank of Captain due to his “maverick” style of flying and circumventing orders.  

After bumping heads with Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain (Ed Harris), Maverick returns to where it all started – Top Gun. Top Gun is the Navy’s top aviation program where the best of the best come and hone their skills. Maverick is returning to the aviation training base as an instructor ordered to prepare the Navy’s best young fighters for a mission to bring down a possible uranium plant. 

These fighter pilots are hungry and overly confident. But, when it comes to actual combat, these pilots are quite green. Maverick must take this group and prepare them for one of the most dangerous missions he has ever seen. To up the ante, he only has two weeks to do it.

Top Gun: Maverick hit theaters last weekend, and I honestly did not know what to expect. Although I knew the property was beloved by many, this would be only the second entry into the franchise in over 35 years. The trailers looked great, but I felt no connection with the property.  

However, one of my favorite actors, Tom Cruise, was 100% committed to the success of this film. His commitment to the film ultimately inspired me to see it. I finally got a chance to catch a late showing on Wednesday night.

To my surprise, this movie was a thrilling and enjoyable ride.

First was the film’s self-awareness. The opening credits show that this movie was not interested in divorcing itself from the source material one iota. It was like director Joseph Kosinski knew that nostalgia would put butts in the seats and completely leaned in.  

You see nods to the original Top Gun throughout the film. However, the rich chemistry of the ensemble cast and the charm of Tom Cruise is so potent that you find new ways to enjoy the old tropes of the first film.  

Speaking of the new cast, Miles Teller (Rooster), Monica Barbaro (Phoenix), Glen Powell (Hangman), Jay Ellis (Payback), and Lewis Pullman (Bob) all do a great job recreating the same types of bonds, friendships, and conflicts of the original Top Gun crew.  

The action scenes were utterly incredible within the context of the film. You find yourself attached to these characters and want them to succeed in the mission. Scenes I found underwhelming in the trailer had me on the edge of my seat at the theater.  

There is a lot of cheese and unintentional comedy within the film.  Some of the dialogue is cringy and scenarios unlikely, but the appeal of the actors even gives these parts a certain charm.

Is the story simple? Yes. Are a lot of the scenarios laughable? Most definitely. Is this military propaganda? Probably. But, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. My friends and I laughed at the cheese, rooted for the pilots, and marveled at its spectacle. What else would you want from a summer blockbuster?