TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Released on 27th of May this year (2022) is a sequel of the super hit movie Top Gun of 1986. Maverick (Tom cruise) being back with the same need for speed, action and flying was equally a hit as it was back in 1986. I watched the movie a few days late, on 29th and here is my review of the movie.
First, something that came to my mind while watching the movie in the theatre “This man is ageless. Did he stop ageing?” The movie returned with the nail-biting aeronautics and emotional sucker punches that made the original an 80s-defining hit.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK- Movie Summary
The movie starts with Maverick now testing jets out in the Mojave desert, but he’s still got the jacket, the super cool bikes, the aviator shades and most importantly the “need for speed”. He also has the machine-tooled rebellious attitude that has prevented him from rising above the level of captain – (Yeah, he is still a captain, but he doesn’t seem to regret it at all. So, who cares if our speedy hunk is not getting a promotion. He is still flying and still disobeying orders without regret.)
Maverick starts with completely blowing up a test jet by taking the jet beyond its speed capacity even after passing the jet test. (Hell yeah!!! Don’t we all love Maverick for pushing beyond limits, specially when it comes to speed.). And the lucky guy instead of getting punished for being rebellious again, gets summoned back to the Top Gun program.
But here’s the twist- He is not being summoned to fly but to teach a new set of Top Gun graduates (best of the bests). And the mission is to blow up an Uranium enrichment plant, situated in a valley, surrounded by the mountains, protected by missiles and a nearby air base owning few old generation fighter jets. This information doesn’t go well with Maverick as he replies “I am not a teacher” Maverick insists, “I’m a fighter pilot.” (But, of course, he can be both.) True to his form, Maverick promptly throws the rulebook in the bin (literally – the metaphors are not subtle) and tells his team of fresh-faced hopefuls that the only thing that matters is “your limits; I intend to find them, and test them”.
Cue dog-fight training sequences played out to classic jukebox cuts, while thrusting young guns to do 200 push-ups on the runway. In the local bar, an underused Jennifer Connelly serves up drinks and love-interest sass (Kelly McGillis was apparently not invited to this party) while Miles Teller’s ( Rooster ) bangs out Great Balls of Fire on the piano, prompting a flashback to Maverick cradling Anthony Edwards’s ( Goose ), who got famously cooked in the first film.
And therein lies what passes for the heart of the piece; because Rooster is Goose’s son, and Maverick, who still blames himself, doesn’t want to be responsible for history repeating itself. “If I send him on this mission,” Cruise emotes, “he might not come back; if I don’t send him, he’ll never forgive me. Either way I could lose him forever.” Tough call, bro. For all its nostalgic, Miller Time sequences of shirtless beach sports and oddly touching character callbacks, also, a cameo from Val Kilmer’s ( Iceman ) proves unexpectedly affecting, Top Gun: Maverick offers exactly the kind of air-punching spectacle that reminds people why a trip to the cinema beats staying at home and watching Netflix. The plot trajectory in my opinion was a bit predictable – Tom going up where he belongs but the emotional bits are very finely choreographed including the gravity defying stunts. As for the cheeky “don’t think, just do” mantra which was much of an instruction to the pilots but i believe we all can use that mantra in our lives as well.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Personal opinion and rating
Personally, I found myself powerless to resist; overawed by the aeronautics and nail-biting “dog fight”, the eye candy moments of shirtless beach sports, the bikes and undoubtedly the emotional attachment to the first Top Gun movie of 1986. I liked the movie even more because the movie also showed the independent, smart, self sufficient and the fighter side of women, which not only puts ladies in a very positive front but is also very motivating.
I recommend watching this movie in theatres for the best experience and give the movie 4.5 stars out of 5.
Read our other review and analysis of The Kashmir Files, Runway 34, Dr. Strange 2
Do you like to analyse movies and behind-the-scene facts? Share with us at BlogSutram.
Feel free to share your articles and blogs with us. It is simple and free to blog at BlogSutram.
Create your Guest Blogger account here or Log In with your credentials
Write your Blog in the Guest Post section. And submit it.