Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Ed Harris, and Jon Hamm
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Runtime: 130 mins. Reviewed in Jun 2022
Reviewer: Peter W Sheehan
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The sequel to “Top Gun” (1986) tells the story of Captain Maverick returning to service to help train Top-Gun graduates for a risky US mission.
This American action-film stars Tom Cruise as Pete Mitchell, one of the U.S. Navy’s top test pilots. He is lured back into action, having intentionally avoided promotion after thirty years of naval service, because he knows advancement would “ground” him – which is something he does not want. The ethos surrounding the movie is militaristic, patriotic, and glorifies combat.
The movie was written from a story conceived by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, and is a delayed sequel to the 1986 film, “Top Gun”. That film was under the control of another Director called Tony Scott, who died tragically and to whom this film is dedicated. The film’s release was postponed due to the COVID pandemic, but also due to the complexity of the flight. Tom Cruise is an accomplished pilot in real life, and this adds the film’s authenticity. The film introduces a wide array of new characters played by Ed Harris, Glen Powell, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm, and others, who do their best to extend the drama of the original.
Maverick learns that planning is afoot for the Top Gun program to be shut down. He defies his superiors by making a personal decision to fly at Mach 10 speed, and his ability to do so raises awareness among his superiors that modern war action has entered a very different technological phase. Because of official respect for his skills as a test pilot, Maverick is asked to take charge of a secret mission by his former rival and friend, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazinsky (Val Kilmer), who is the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Both Cruise and Kilmer return after starring together in the 1986 movie. Maverick’s new job is to train an elite group of Top Gun graduates for a secretive combat mission, and he is needed to establish their supremacy as invincible fighter pilots. By doing aerial stunts at Mach 10 speed, Maverick infuriates his superiors, but they acknowledge that he is nevertheless ideal for the mission they have in mind.
The sky-based cinematography in this film is exceptional, and the film’s lofty action sequences are amazing. They make the film a worthy successor to the original 1986 movie. Likewise, the aerial combat sequences are nothing short of spectacular, and the movie’s “special effects” team make it look like Tom Cruise is an intricate part of them. The film is structurally similar to the 1986 movie, but it adds psychological drama between Maverick and the son of his late best friend, “Goose” Bradshaw, who died in the 1986 film. Lieutenant “Rooster” Bradshaw isn’t too enamoured with his late father’s flying partner, and he has personal conflicts to boot. Miles Teller, new to this film, takes the role of Rooster.
Drama exists on the ground as well as in the air. Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly) is Maverick’s new love interest, and Maverick eventually forges the right kind of relationship with Rooster. Maverick has psychological issues to solve with his new pilot recruits, and he has engendered a lot of friction with the training school’s director, Vice Admiral “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm). For the most part, drama on the ground takes second place to the stunningly choreographed theatrics in the sky. The movie’s plotline is highly dependent on the original film, but the quality of the stunt work moves this film ahead. A movie like this begs the question whether it will spawn a third in the series. Popularity may provide the answer. Currently, there are few cinema houses not screening this movie.
This film features terrific aerial action in highly creative stunt work, projecting tremendous aerial energy. Because the stunt-action eclipses the dramatic action, it is a movie that should be seen on the large screen, preferably in 3D. It would also help if the theatre had a good sound system to capture the full force of all the Mach 10 flights.
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