Decades after the first Top Gun movie came out, the audience gets a sequel nobody really expected. The first Top Gun has quite the cult following these days and so the question is: Is it a worthy sequel?
Only took them 3 decades to come up with a sequel, Tom Cruise was not allowed to age a bit during this time.. |
Those who hope for a deeply intriguing story will be disappointed but the 80's strip was no different in this regard. Tom Cruise is sticking to his guns, quite literally. Maverick is a very classic action movie with clichés and over the top scenes, just as you would expect.
This is also its biggest weakness as it is quite foreseeable. It does not experiment or take any special approach to cinema, in fact it honors the tradition of the first movie, of using as much real scenes as possible. Something the movie has been praised for by other reviews and clearly it pays off. It always feels real, while providing high speed action and makes many things more believable than they really are.
Something most of the current movies can not deliever.
The plot itself is reminiscent of the first one: It is about rivalry, teamwork and some action driven finale.
But really it is almost secondary. It is about planes, action and it never tries to send much of a message. It mostly gets straight to the point does not waste time. It is as long as it needs to be and no second longer.
Where the movie sometimes surprises though is the personal struggles the characters face.
Maverick by now a test pilot for supersonic planes is facing the reality of an everchanging world in where there is no more place for hard-headed-testosterone-driven fighter pilots but only drones. The old must make place for the new and while he definitely does not seem to have aged a bit in the past three decades (Hollywood seems to be on the cutting-edge of anti-aging), even he has to acknowledge things are changing and not always to his favour as his program is about to be cancelled.
When on the ground it seems, the things are getting ever more bleak for him, luckily when he has to train a bunch of young pilots for a critical mission it is his time to shine.
While the overall movie is an execution of proven success formulas it still is paying attention to details. Sometimes it is about these details, that make a difference between an average and a good movie, such as in this case.
In a scene, where Tom Cruise is meeting his old love played by Jennifer Connely (who seems not have aged as well...) the listener can catch David Bowie's "Let's Dance" in the background. A nod to both, her success role alongside with the british icon and the onset of the plot. It is time to dance indeed.
Furthermore Lockheed Martin helped to advertise the avionic industry for the new generation by designing a very realistic model of an hypersonic plane, which provides the tech-savy viewer a nice demonstration of what cutting edge technologies might look like.
Of course there is also enough nostalgian fan service as well. Goose Jr. is now a pilot, the iconic F-14 is back and even Val Kilmer has some screen time.
The latter is still proving his skills as an actor, despite his handicap, which the film treats with respect.
Where the movie falls a bit short, is the big action at the end, which is repeating formulars and sometimes feels a bit over the top.
And while Maverick also finds some personal peace it still is exactly what you expect.
This is of course part due the overall premise of the movie: It never tries to be something else than an action movie and sometimes this is the way it has to be. Sticking to the basics and especially the usuage of practical effects instead of CGI greatly aid the movie in many regards.
In the skies it is all good. At least for now and at least for now the days of Maverick are not over.
Score: 7/10
