Review - Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, we've waited the last couple of years to see this movie on the big screen, and it was well worth the wait. Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 film Top Gun, and stars Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Ed Harris, and a very brief appearance by Val Kilmer. The film was directed by Joseph Kosinski, whose work I am familiar with as I have seen both Tron: Legacy and Oblivion, two of his previous directorial efforts. 

        So, the movie focuses, once again, on U.S. Navy Captain Pete Mitchell aka "Maverick," who has been recalled to Top Gun to help train a group of recalled Top Gun graduates to complete a near-impossible mission to covertly destroy a weapons depot containing massive amounts of uranium. Among the aviators Maverick is training is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, son of Maverick's late RIO and best friend Goose. Along the way, Maverick reunites with a former flame, Penny, and fellow Top Gun graduate and Navy Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, the latter of whom was the one who wanted Maverick training the pilots for the mission. And guys, you're going to have to see the movie for yourselves to find out if the mission is a success or not. 

        Okay, so what's really neat is that the movie features nearly the exact same opening sequence as the original Top Gun. Same music, the Top Gun theme by Harold Faltermeyer, a text about the Navy creating Top Gun, and showcasing fighter jets taking off from and landing on an aircraft carrier, all to the tune of "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins. While some May see this as lazy, I think it works here, because of how many years its been since the release of the original Top Gun. The movie features several other nods and callbacks to the first movie, and all of them are tastefully done and are just excellent. 

       Tom Cruise is definitely great as the returning Pete "Maverick" Mitchell. This, along with Ethan Hunt, is easily one of his most beloved characters, and it's cool getting to see him return to it all these years later. Speaking of returning, it was a real treat getting to see Val Kilmer as Iceman once more. Now, for those who are unaware, Val had previously battled some severe health issues, and has difficulty in speaking because of them. Now, what I admire that the filmmakers did is that they portrayed Iceman as having gone through said health issues as well, and it was done in a manner that I found to be very tasteful and well done in the movie. 

        Among my favorite newcomers include Monica Barbaro as Phoenix, Glen Powell as Hangman, and Miles Teller as Rooster. Admittedly, the scenes between Maverick and Rooster were among my favorites. I mean, the guy looks like a spitting image of Anthony Edwards as Goose from the original movie. Jennifer Connelly does well, as do Jon Hamm and Ed Harris. 

     Now, of course, the big highlight of this movie is the sequences of flying in the jets. The flying scenes are just as good as the ones in the first movie, and are really accentuated by the brilliant cinematography of Claudio Miranda, who also worked with Kosinski on Tron: Legacy and Oblivion. The music score, which included original themes by Harold Faltermeyer, was also really well done by both Hans Zimmer and Lady Gaga, who also performed an original song for the ending of the movie. 

        Overall, I loved this movie. I recommend seeing it on the big screen, and most certainly in formats like IMAX. I, myself, saw it in a format called ScreenX, which is a panoramic format, and it was really cool getting to see the jets go by in panoramic view. No surprise here, I'm giving Top Gun: Maverick a rating of 5/5. This definitely tops The Batman as my favorite movie of the year so far. Anyway, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.