Artnrespress :
Top Gun: Maverick is a movie that feels like it is the best version of itself, and it’s a thrill.
Call it cinematic sacrilege, but upon reflection, there really isn’t much to Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Tony Scott’s Top Gun. He’s the character that comes to mind when prompted to think about the stereotypical hot shot fighter pilot, and the 1986 film provides him with what can be called The Standard Arc of talent-driven highs, humility-driven lows, and a redemption denouement. These facts about the protagonist on the table, it’s fair to be dubious about a 36-years-later sequel.
That, however, is ignoring the most crucial part of the equation: Tom Cruise.
It’s true that the man is not infallible, but going back to the early 1980s he has been a reliable barometer for quality, and has proven his ability to not only deliver a charismatic performance, but guide a successful story. When Cruise puts his name on something, it deserves benefit of the doubt – and Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick will only be used as further proof of this truth in the years to come, as it is hard to imagine a more successful sequel to Top Gun.
From a certain angle, it’s a movie with a metatextual plot that examines its own relevancy. The question of why we need a Top Gun sequel now is akin to the question of why we need elite fighter pilots in the age of remote-controlled drones. The answer to the latter, as suggested by the film, is that a flying ace can make snap decisions in a moment that a drone operator can’t; and the answer to the former, as proven by the film, is that Tom Cruise is a goddamn star who has as much in the tank at 60 as he did when he was 24.
