FILM REVIEW: "Top Gun: Maverick" is a rock ‘n’ roll masterpiece
“Holy shit.” I muttered to myself over and over again as I left the movie theatre.
Top Gun: Maverick is every bit as good as you’ve heard – heck, it’s better. Somehow this belated sequel to a goofy 80s flick is cutting edge 21st-century cinema. I could give you a rundown of the tightly-wound plot, its jaw-dropping scenes of aerial combat, etc but what Top Gun: Maverick is really about is Tom Cruise’s commitment to The Movies. “The Movies”, in this particular case, being unpretentious escapism and showmanship– heartfelt melodrama – derring-do without the safety net of winking at the audience.
Maverick begins at top speed, with the Navy’s top aviator Captain Pete Mitchell (Cruise) pushing the limits of an F/A-18F Super Hornet. Although he’s dodged a promotion for as long as possible, he’s tasked with preparing graduate pilots for a deadly assignment.
Director Joseph Kosinski crafts a dramatic action picture where the story nuts and bolts are polished until gleaming. The pieces fit together flawlessly: the students who must overcome a challenge they aren’t ready to meet; a rivalry that ultimately proves touching; a complicated father and son dynamic and how that can be saved. It’s a story told with such efficiency, without ever feeling clinical. I suppose if you were to relay the story beat-for-beat, it could come off as cliched, but I found myself swept away at every moment.
Top Gun: Maverick is an essential, unforgettable theatre experience.
