Top Gun: Maverick Review

 

Top Gun: Maverick is an action drama film and the sequel to the 1986 classic Top Gun. The movie is produced by Skydance Media and Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Top Gun: Maverick is written by Christopher McQuarrie, Eric Warren Singer, and Ehren Kruger and directed by Joseph Kosinski.

The story is it's been more than 30 years since the events of the last movie, and Maverick is where he wants to be. Because of his long track record he's soon assigned to teach a new group of pilots. Although it might not be as easy as Maverick hoped. He has own problems with not only an uncertain future, but the ghost of the past.

Initial Reaction

Having seen the first movie and absolutely loving it naturally I was excited for the sequel. And much like every other movie that was suppose to come out in 2020, I was bummed that it got pushed. Thankfully, after waiting for so long I was excited, and ready to go.

Cons

Nothing to for this section. So just move on.

Middle Ground

The only slight issue with the film is the pacing. For a majority of the movie the pacing is really good almost on par with the first movie. But going into the third act and nearing the end, it does get a bit slow. I was almost feeling like this was going on for too long, but thankfully before I was getting bored the credits rolled in.

Pros

Now for the pros! One of those being the character driven story. I bring this up as a big plus, because when though I was excited about the movie, I was worried they were gonna focus more on the action then the characters, unlike the first. Thankfully that wasn't the case. We actually get a really good story not only with Maverick all on his own, but we also got a good story with him and another pilot Rooster. Another fantastic thing about Top Gun: Maverick is Tom Cruise's performance. Now in the first movie, he was still really good, whether he was being charismatic or being more emotional during the more dramatic scenes. Here, he's great. There's this one great scene between him and Val Kilmer's Iceman, where Tom looks like he's trying to hold back tears. Like I said really great scene. What I also want to give credit to or who I want to give credit to is Joseph Kosinski. During the opening sequence, not only did it look like a perfect reenactment of the first, but afterwards, he directed such a well shot movie. Much like Tony Scott, he showcased beautiful locations, great reaction shots from the cast, and great jet flying and fighting. Which brings me to my final part and the thing we all went to see the jets. The action with those scenes, would've made Tony Scott give a big hand clap. But what also made them really good scenes, is not only the flying/dog fighting but, they were truly real with very little CGI. Which is such a big positive. Cause we really need more movies that have just as much practical effects as CGI. And I really hope that happens whether it's with this movie or any film in the future.

Top Gun: Maverick is a blockbuster you really need to see. Especially on the big screen. It's got a great character driven story, Tom Cruise gives a great performance, Kosinski directed it beautifully, and all of the scenes with the jets are awesome. Pacing could've used more work, but it's not a complete issue that'll take you out of the experience.

My final rating is Great.

Okay, that's going to do it for me. Come back on Monday, May 30th for my review of the newest Amazon film, Emergency. Until then, enjoy the rest of your day, and go see Top Gun: Maverick.