"Top Gun: Maverick" rousing, sexy and affecting, making a case for decades-late sequels

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

A belated legacy sequel to the last living blockbuster of the ‘80s sounds like a pretty long wait, and yet, after that length of time, we actually feel the need for one. Of course, we’re talking about 1986’s slick Tony Scott-directed “Top Gun,” which catapulted Tom Cruise to movie-star status, gave new wave band Berlin an Oscar for their breathtaking love song, and made us realize that more movies need homoerotic beach volleyball. If you have to make a sequel 36 years later, “Top Gun: Maverick” is the way to do it. It’s that rare one that actually tops its beloved, quotable predecessor.

Just like in the first “Top Gun,” director Joseph Kosinski (helmer of another decades-late sequel, 2010’s “TRON: Legacy”) opens “Top Gun Maverick” with Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens’ instantly recognizable instrumental anthem between the credits and a sunset montage on the aircraft runway before segueing into the deathless Kenny Loggins classic “Danger Zone.” Then Navy Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise), relegated to a test pilot, rides the runway again on his Kawasaki motorcycle. Distinguished but avoidant of promotions and retirement, he still lives up to his cocksure call sign, going against the orders of his admiral (Ed Harris). Maverick belongs in the sky, so no-nonsense Admiral “Cyclone” (Jon Hamm) hopes to be proven wrong when putting Maverick in charge of training the latest group of Top Gun aviators for a risky mission. Under his tutelage are the best of the best, including Hangman (Glen Powell), Phoenix (Monica Barbaro), Payback (Jay Ellis), Fanboy (Danny Ramirez), Bob (Lewis Pullman Jr.), and, most controversial, Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s tragically late wingman Goose. It’s his last chance in the Navy and he has to narrow down the selection.

Written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie (with story credited to Peter Craig and Justin Marks), “Top Gun: Maverick” ticks all of the boxes we want without merely being an obligatory checklist of studio notes and does it with satisfying emotional stakes. Despite being about characters in the U.S. military, these films have never really been about war but resemble the blueprint of a sports movie when it comes to friends becoming heroes. These heroes do have a mission (blow up a uranium bunker in an “unknown” hostile, mountainous nation), but it’s more in the service of “will they or won’t they survive?” suspense. Most impressive of all, director Joseph Kosinski aces the aerial dogfights with stunning technical prowess, edging more into the danger zone than the 1986 film ever could. In fact, this one now makes the original look like a scrappy little indie. Sharply cut and skillfully shot where we can tell who is who, these sequences are thrillingly executed and awesome, particularly the low-altitude flying around canyons. Proving this is the kind of movie that absolutely benefits from advanced technology, these sequences actually, you know, take your breath away. This is to say nothing of a sweaty, shirtless touch football scene, subbing for everyone's favorite sweaty, shirtless beach volleyball scene.

Given the subtitle of the film, this is still Maverick’s story. Tom Cruise, nearing a young 60, has yet to lose that swagger, charisma, and fearlessness to be the ultimate showboat (you better believe he’s flying for real without his arms looking tired). He’s a damn movie star and still giving all the weight and emotional burden carried by this iconic character. Cruise is Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, still very much a reckless hotshot but afraid of repeating the past. There’s a powerful moment where Maverick sees a lot of Goose in Rooster, being the life of the party while ticking the ivories to “Great Balls of Fire,” and the history of resentment and grudge-holding between Maverick and Rooster feels valid and not as flimsy as it initially seems. 

A good deal of fun comes from the attractive cast of younger pilots. These characters may not be drawn with exterior lives beyond the classroom and the sky, but being played by this spirited group of actors makes up for it. Glen Powell is all swagger (and the camera loves objectifying his magnetic smile) as the hotheaded Hangman, and as a chip off the block playing Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, Miles Teller is his usual charismatic self but moving in his vulnerability, considering how much he actually looks like Anthony Edwards here. (Don’t think about math, though, because technically Rooster would be in his forties now.) 

Kelly McGillis was not called back as Maverick’s instructor and “hot for teacher” love interest Charlie, nor is her absence addressed. But the radiant, ever-reliable Jennifer Connelly brings a backbone, warmth, and a snappy banter to former (and possibly present) flame Penny Benjamin, a bar owner and the admiral’s daughter who was mentioned as a fling in the first film; she even gets to be an expert sailor, showing Maverick how it’s done. Also, is it out of sheer out-of-a-hat randomness that Connelly is introduced by the music of her former “Labyrinth” co-star? Val Kilmer also makes a surprising appearance as Maverick’s friendly rival, four-star admiral “Iceman.” His presence is first treated like Samantha Jones from the “Sex and the City” spin-off “And Just Like That…” through text messages, but the handling of his character turns out to be respectful and beautifully poignant.

Coming at the right time to launch the summer movie season, “Top Gun: Maverick” is not only much better than it has any right to be. It might even be better than the first “Top Gun.” Even if the script contrives one last “movie moment” with a deus ex machina, we remain fully invested, holding on to our butts. Nostalgia-fueled in its reverence but with enough humanity to not just be dusted-off IP, “Top Gun: Maverick” is a rousing, sexy, charisma-filled big-screen entertainment that wins you over and just works. 

Grade: B +

Paramount Pictures is releasing “Top Gun: Maverick” (131 min.) in theaters on May 27, 2022.