Top Gun: Maverick Movie Review

Few films from the 1980s are as popular or well-remembered as Top Gun. For years its brand of over-the-top military action was unmatched in excitement and flair. Some thirty-six years later the long-awaited follow-up has arrived, and what an experience it is...

Decades on from the first film, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) has stayed the course as an aviation captain, refusing to be transferred to a desk job or command role. He returns to the titular flight school to train up a new band of cadets. Their mission? Launch a precision strike on the enemy’s uranium stockpile and escape before more advanced enemy fighters intercept. It’s a brutal challenge with next to no margin for error and the seasoned flying ace juggles team-building and rebuilding connections with his old friends. Much like Creed and the recent Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Top Gun: Maverick does a brilliant job of building on previous efforts. Rather than banking heavily on nostalgia, it tells a legacy story with calm confidence. The events of the previous film weigh heavily on the characters and this is combined with a modern context that never becomes overbearing. The notion of fighter pilots being replaced by automation opens the story and it serves a key anchor point that the characters push against. Putting aside the opening montage, it’s more serious than the 1986 original as well. The excess and macho antics have been replaced with something more reflective and sentimental; this makes the ensuing operations much more powerful and engaging as the dramatic stakes are lifted sky-high.

Strong and simple characterisation plays a key role in the sequel, but it’s the returning characters who connect fully with the legacy storytelling. Maverick maintains his love of flying and pulling off insane manoeuvres, but he’s also worn out, having grown distant from his former comrades. All the way through, Cruise puts this on display, adding to the protagonist and taking him far beyond a straightforward hotshot. Alongside the authoritative generals, we have the young cadets who are quite charismatic at first glance. Rooster (Miles Teller), son of Goose from the previous film, is given the most material and this is certainly the best choice. Living in the shadow of his father, Rooster is very resentful of Maverick and the strain of giving an opportunity to prove himself verses the possibility of death is always present. If there’s one downside, it’s how his comrades rarely move beyond their individual tropes. While likeable, their personalities are fairly one-note; Hangman (Glen Powell) is the smug sharpshooter, Bob (Lewis Pullman) is the tech-savvy operator and Phoenix (Monica Barbaro) is the cool-headed mediator. Other members like Fanboy, Payback and Coyote are quite weak, their roles put to the side as the final act starts. If these cast members had a little more depth, there would be no fault with the film at all. Still, the emphasis on teamwork shines through and you can feel the bonds between the characters growing as they build towards their ultimate objective.

Cinematic technology has come a long way over the last thirty years and Top Gun: Maverick showcases its aerial dogfights like no other modern release. When Maverick tests a prototype stealth jet in the film’s opening, you know you’re in for an incredible thrill ride. The sound design, camerawork and angles are all spectacular, making you feel like you’re in these powerful F/18 Super Hornets with the pilots. Every strain of the g-force, every narrow miss from a SAM launcher, every roar of the jet engine is absolutely outstanding and the impact is tripled when viewed in IMAX. The fact that Cruise and his co-stars learned to fly the planes personally is the most impressive achievement, yet it’s only a small piece of the bigger picture. The camerawork is swift and precise, giving a crystal clear picture of the battles with CGI used sparingly for the more destructive sequences. In short, Top Gun: Maverick takes full advantage of modern approaches to deliver maximum entertainment value.

If it wasn’t for some of the new cadets being underdeveloped, Top Gun: Maverick would be a near-flawless sequel. It’s a masterclass in both high-flying action and telling a story that both respects and expands on the original. The aerial dogfights are truly breath-taking, but the film never forgets about the characters on the flight stick. The result is one of the best films of 2022, one that will rock your senses and leave you awe-struck.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars (Brilliant)