Review: 'Top Gun: Maverick' is the best sequel to happen & one of the best films in recent times

To be doing a sequel to your own film 36 years later as you have barely seemed to have aged yourself is a feat only Tom-freaking-Cruise can achieve and how.

Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick

How is it that Tom Cruise can do no wrong? Oh wait, we did have The Mummy. But hey, with the phenomenon that Cruise is, he gets it right more often than not and Top Gun: Maverick might just be the perfect example of that.

To be doing a sequel to your own film 36 years later as you have barely seemed to have aged yourself is a feat only Tom-freaking-Cruise can achieve and how.

Having seen the film before hand, here's what I thought of it-

The Nostalgia Aspect

Top Gun: Maverick 4

It is a given that the film being a sequel and a continuation of storyline, it will obviously have callbacks to the original and moments of nostalgia plus longing.

Evaluation: If you have seen the original Top Gun, the first frame of the sequel to the moment where the opening credits end is all nostalgia guaranteed. Kenny Loggins' song, 'Danger Zone', that became so iconic in 1986 continues to be relevant and impactful even today. Apart from this, there are more subtle odes of nostalgia as well - be it Tom Cruise's Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell riding the motorcycle, and a couple of lines where characters talk about the past.

The Improvement

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Truthfully, Top Gun was a massive feat when it comes to technology and execution considering whatever was done was done in the mid 80s. It was a given that as we are in 2022 now, the technological advancement would be more than visible. But the error that multiple other reboots, remakes or sequels have made is only focusing on that to an extent that even the improvement in all technical aspects don't seem novel. For instance, if you show a kid a smartphone today, he is not gonna be excited by it. 

Evaluation: That is what Top Gun: Maverick does masterfully. The obvious improvement in cinematography, bolder decisions to capture the air flight sequences and most importantly, the impeccable sound design and background score makes the best possible use of the advanced tools available in a way that still pleasantly surprises you, shocks you, and wows you. Pro Tip: Watch the movie in IMAX.

Representation

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Considering Top Gun was in 1986, one cannot expect the same awareness and being woke. Even then, the original did a fine job with the characterization of Charlie Blackwood, played by Kelly McGillis. But with the entire change of demographic and time in 2022, Top Gun: Maverick does what you would expect it to do.

Evaluation: The new film doesn't try too hard to work on representation and diversity with its casting but the biggest change that it brings is casting Monica Barbaro as Phoenix apart from Manny Jacinto as Fritz, Jay Ellis as Payback and others. To be having a female student in this entirely male-dominated setting was a refreshing change. It is a mixed bag with her characterisation though where Barbaro's performance is absolutely fantastic and the makers did a fine job of not indulging her character in any unwanted romantic angles but on the other hand, by the end of the film, you feel there could have been so much more to her character than just being sidelined.

The Only Underwhelming Aspect

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Top Gun: Maverick is a near-perfect film. Just near perfect though. The new love angle has Cruise's Mitchell being romantically involved with Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly).

Evaluation: It isn't that Connelly hasn't done a decent job or her chemistry with Cruise isn't good but just the overall arc is rather underwhelming. The romance in the first installment gave the story meaning but here it just acts a distraction from the otherwise exhilarating action going on. Even the end result of that angle was just meh!

Redemption

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Milles Teller as Rooster, the son of Pete's late and dear friend, Goose brings in the much-needed emotional aspect to the storyline and his back-and-forth with Cruise's Pete make for the emotional core.

Evaluation: Pete still hasn't forgotten what it was like to lose his best friend Goose even though it wasn't his mistake. But his son Rooster seems to think it is Pete's fault and till the end, that continues. The culmination of their storyline and the redemption for Pete is undoubtedly one of the most satisfying moments of the film rounding up a brilliant climax.

The Verdict

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There are sequels that are good, there are sequels that are great but there are seldom moments that you call a sequel near-perfect. Led by the un-ageing and brilliant Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick is definitely the best sequel I have seen in a long time and one of the best films overall.

Rating - ****1/2 (4.5/5)

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Comments (1)

And then there is me who has never seen Top Gun!😂

1 years ago

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