Top Gun: Maverick
Year: 2022
Rating: PG-13
Length: 130 minutes / 2.17 hours
The COVID pandemic delayed the release of Top Gun: Maverick (2022) for a few years. Having only watched the original a few days prior to seeing this in the theaters, it was definitely worth the wait to see something like this on the big screen. The trailers only hinted at the spectacle that could be achieved over 35 years after the original wowed audiences with great fighter jet footage. That’s not to say that this film doesn’t lean heavily on its nostalgia—or plots that come strikingly close to other famous franchises.
Part of the appeal of Top Gun (1986) was all the footage of fighter jet acrobatics. Most civilians never get to see these things outside an occasional air show, so there’s an amount of awe involved when seeing what these marvels of modern engineering can do. Over three decades of advancements in cinematography allowed this sequel to surpass the original. Cockpit footage of these actors actually in these fighter jets, combined with high-definition shots of amazing maneuvers, made this movie quite exciting to watch. These scenes shown in the trailers made me—a Top Gun skeptic—want to see this film. I was not disappointed.
Plot-wise, Top Gun: Maverick felt slightly more developed than its predecessor. My favorite part by far was the experimental aircraft test at the start of the movie. However, the rest of the film’s plot felt familiar, but not in a good way. About a third of the way through, I realized, “Wait a minute. This is just Star Wars (1977).” Don’t get me wrong, Star Wars‘ climactic battle against the Empire is a cinema-defining moment. It just felt weird packaged in this way. Add to that a few moments of blatant nostalgia and it was clear this movie was at least in part made for fans of the original.
Improving on the visuals and story of its predecessor, I give Top Gun: Maverick 4.0 stars out of 5.
