Top Gun Maverick Review: Tom Cruise and co. come out in flying colours
36 years after the release of the iconic Tom Cruise-starrer ‘Top Gun’, the film is getting a sequel. ‘Top Gun Maverick’ has Tom Cruise reprising his role of US Navy’s fighter pilot, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Despite his impeccable record as a fighter pilot, Maverick is still a Captain and it has a lot to do with his instinctive way of leading life. He has also dodged promotions to continue flying after 33 years of service.
Upon instructions from his former rival, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who is now the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Maverick is to train an elite group of Top Gun graduates for a special mission. The objective is to destroy a uranium enrichment facility of an enemy nation. It is located within a steep depression at the end of a mountainous canyon and armed by numerous missiles and an airbase with fifth-generation fighters.
Among the elite group chosen for this highly risky task is Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s late best friend, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. The latter hates Maverick for blocking his application to the Naval Academy and setting back his career. In his defence, Maverick had given his word to Goose’s wife, who didn’t want her son to be a fighter pilot.
Though the team initially has issues with Maverick’s plans for the operation and his training methods, they come together after seeing him singlehandedly perform the task. The training prepares them in all mission aspects, including basic fighter maneuvers, precision-guided munitions employment, dogfights as well as the importance of teamwork. Whether they manage to execute their plans and how they do it is what is told thrillingly in this 131-minute-long edge-of-the-seater.
To conceive and execute a film of this scale with such perfection is in a huge achievement. Top Gun Maverick has plenty of moments to entertain the genre fans. The film is extremely heartwarming with lots of callbacks to its prequel. It has the ever charming Tom Cruise in full form, some jaw-dropping mid-air fights and an exhilarating 45-minute-long climax stretch.
Simply put, Top Gun Maverick is a brilliantly made ode to its predecessor.
Movie Ratings
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Direction - 9/10
9/10
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Artist Performance - 9.5/10
9.5/10
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Script - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Technical Side - 9/10
9/10
