I am definitely not a fan of the original Top Gun movie. I have seen it only once on its initial release and I could not stomach Tom Cruise’s smug performance as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell or the ‘God Bless America’ jingoism that ran through it. Over the years, Cruise has matured as a screen presence and I had hoped this sequel was going to be an improvement. This time around, Maverick is tasked with training a group of pilots for a near impossible mission to destroy a rogue country’s uranium enrichment facility.
The beginning of the film did not bode well with an over reverent homage to the first movie. The near fetishization and cheesy dialogue veered dangerously into Hot Shots territory. However, things soon settle down and the references to the 1986 movie are kept in check. There is a brief, moving, appearance by Val Kilmer’s Iceman and one of Maverick’s trainees is Rooster (Miles Teller) the son of Goose, but both of those characters felt necessary to the story.
The flag waving is toned down, although the familiar near absurd macho posturing does appear every so often. However, it is in the flight sequences that the movie really comes alive. With the technological advances of the last 30 years they are a great improvement; truly breath-taking at times.
The performances are generally fine with Cruise still somehow defying the years. The male performers get the meatier roles with Jennifer Connelly’s love interest and Monica Barbaro’s pilot unfortunately given little to do.
My hopes, therefore, were met. Top Gun Maverick can join a small group where the sequel is better than the original.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10