Top Gun: Maverick Review – The Sky Is No Limit For Tom Cruise & This Movie!

Director: Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Monica Barbaro, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell, 
Rating: 12A
Running Time: 130 mins
Release Date: 25.5.22

This review could basically be as short as these five simple words: DO NOT MISS THIS FILM! That’s it, that’s the review! However, there are so many incredible aspects to this film that need to be shared, gushed over and explained, that it is possible to run out of superlatives to describe TOP GUN: MAVERICK. To put it quite simply, this film is the movie of the decade and it will be a very hard feat to top.

Thirty five years in the making and it is worth every second of waiting for when you watch this film on the big screen – and you definitely need to watch it on the biggest screen possible to take in the stunning visuals and outstanding cinematography that breaks new cinematic boundaries.

The original TOP GUN movie was released back in 1986 and and was the highest-grossing movie of the year and its sequel is likely to achieve the same this year with so much hype around this long-awaited action thriller. 

In TOP GUN: MAVERICK, we see see the titular hero Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is not necessarily flying high in his career, yes he is still in the skies with jets (only just with help from Val Kilmer’s Iceman), but he has remained only a captain and not an admiral as expected. Kilmer’s brief cameo lends itself to a touching scene between the duo as he advises Maverick to let go of the past and move on from the tragic death of Goose (Anthony Edwards) in the original movie. This is something which he struggles with as he has been asked to be the teacher of an elite team of pilots to carry out a deadly mission at a nuclear enrichment plant. Maverick is reluctant to take up the role and the main reason he hesitates yet accepts is because Rooster (Miles Teller) is one of the pilots in this miracle mission – the son of Goose. 

With time in the balance, Maverick is on a mission to teach the elite team to achieve ‘miracles’ and to not think but just do. Like in the first movie, there is rivalry amongst some, competitiveness, friendship and camaraderie that you would expect, but most of all, we see Maverick is still Maverick. (His Kawasaki motorbike and aviators of course have to make a reappearance!) He has retained his youthful spirit, but he has grown as an individual. He battles against Jon Hamm’s Cyclone, a Vice Admiral with the Navy, but he proves he will fight to the very end to protect and teach his pilots and it makes for an outstanding battle and scenes in the air.

The acrobatic displays are phenomenal, the acting is incredible and the audience are treated to an experience that at times, really makes them feel as though they are also in the jets. It’s achieved making an incredible big-screen experience that perfectly married together the story of the old and the new. Hands down, it is one of the best sequels that has ever been released.

The movie serves up a rollercoaster of emotions and much like the F/A-18s, it will give you moments of highs and lows. You will laugh, cry, laugh, cry again and then be holding your breath in anticipation during the most stunning aerial scenes you will ever witness. 

For those who have seen the original movie, you will enjoy the moments of nostalgia from the very beginning with the iconic Top Gun theme music, through to the graphics of the opening credits. The powerful, emotive score by Hans Zimmer ties in beautifully during the most dramatic and emotional of scenes and the great casting choices make this an all-round perfect film. 

To put it quite simply, this film could not get any better. You’ll have cheers, you’ll have tears, you’ll clap and your hands will flap during the film’s most dramatic, exquisitely captured scenes – and they really will take your breath away. It’s a movie made for the big screen and you won’t stop thinking about the visual splendour you have just witnessed for a long time after the credits roll. They really don’t make movies like this anymore, but thank goodness they made this one!

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