You are currently viewing At the Movies with Alan Gekko: Top Gun: Maverick “2022”

At the Movies with Alan Gekko: Top Gun: Maverick “2022”

MPAA Rating: PG-13/ Genre: Action Drama/Stars: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer, Monica Barbaro, Charles Parnell, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis, Manny Jacinto, Jack Schumacher, Bashir Salahuddin, Jake Picking, Raymond Lee, Lyliana Wray, Jean Louisa Kelly, Bob Stephenson, Chelsea Harris/Runtime: 131 minutes

I just gotta say: to a fair degree they really don’t make films like they used to anymore do they? Actually, maybe it’s not that they do not make movies like they did at one time. Instead, maybe it’s the fact that 98% of the movie making community doesn’t make movies the way that Tom Cruise chooses to. Indeed given how in the world of cinema it seems like the sky is the limit to what they can accomplish, there really is something beautifully old timey let alone purposefully methodical about the manner in which Cruise chooses to execute his particular cinematic vision whenever he signs on to do a movie. Case in point: we see that today’s slice of cinema I am reviewing today, the new release Top Gun: Maverick, is one that has been in the works for a long time now yet it still seems like it wasn’t even a day ago that the original with its gripping narrative and phenomenal aerial sequences managed to rake in over 357 million across the globe which, when compared to the film’s now miniscule budget of about 15 million dollars, made this slice of cinema a smashing success.  However for its iconic lead actor making a sequel to this massive financial success to say nothing of cornerstone film for its respective decade wasn’t about just making one simply because the demand was there. Rather, it had to be a film that could not only respect what came before it, but also at the same time take the character of Maverick and the world of the first film into the present day in a way that felt genuine to both things going on in the real world and to Maverick himself respectively. Suffice it to say that it may have taken close to 4 decades since the first one came out, but I can safely say that Cruise was right to play the waiting game the way he did. Indeed not only is Top Gun: Maverick a genuinely riveting cinematic ride from beginning to end, but in nearly every component both in front of and behind the camera is easily one of the most phenomenal blockbusters I have seen in some time thus making this a true must-see in every sense of the word.

The plot is as follows: Top Gun: Maverick gets its riveting narrative underway as we are rather quickly reintroduced to Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell who, we are able to ascertain, has continued both in his service as a member of the United States Navy and also in his utilization of his rather distinct talents as a test pilot who is among those the Navy calls on to fly and try out aircraft that are designed to go quicker than Mach 10 (or 10 times the speed of sound for those of you who aren’t that knowledgeable about those things). Yet while we see that Maverick, despite over 4 decades having passed since we last saw him, still is a downright phenomenal pilot we also learn at the same time he has not tossed aside his fondness for not exactly following the rules either. A fact he demonstrates by engaging in an unauthorized test of a plane that the program for is being shuttered. Yet whilst Maverick’s superior officer, one Rear Admiral Chester Cole, sees Maverick as nothing more than a antiquity from a bygone era he would love to put out to pasture, he quickly finds that retiring this guy is not an option due to the timely intervention of an old friend from Maverick’s past (gee I wonder who?). Rather, he finds that he is to reassign our high-flying rebel with a cause to a little place known as the US Navy’s Fighter Weapons School or as we have come to know it: Top Gun. Thus, we see that Maverick is brought in to act as an instructor of a group of about a dozen pilots. Yet, unlike the first film, these dozen pilots are by no means fresh-faced newbies; rather, these cadets have both graduated and are the proverbial “best of the best that the academy has to offer”. Among this group however, the name that we see soon makes the biggest impression on Maverick would be a Lieutenant with the call sign of “Rooster”. A young man who, among other noteworthy attributes, just so happens to be the son of Maverick’s old friend/ RIO, the late Lieutenant Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. However, lest you think any of this is news to Rooster you would be mistaken. In fact, not only does Rooster know who Maverick is to say nothing of the particulars surrounding his father’s tragic and untimely demise, but he actually has quite the deep amount of resentment towards Maverick which he has been using to get as far as he has within the ranks. Yet it isn’t long before we learn the reason this group has been assembled is because they are being brought in for a truly thrilling assignment. That being that the military has received word that some enemy out there has been operating an illegal uranium plant and, despite being protected by both potent weaponry as well as a squad of advanced aircraft, the U.S. military hierarchy would love to see the plant wiped out. Yet rather than have all 12 go, we see that Maverick is there to train all of them on what to expect, and then pick six to actually take part. Thus, can our skilled hot shot overcome the ghosts of his past and become the man he was always destined to be in time for not only his students, but himself as well? That I will leave you to discover for yourself….

Now in the aftermath of his fantastic albeit criminally underseen slice of cinema that is Only the Brave, I think it can safely be said that film helmer Joseph Kosinski proves to once more be at the top of his directing game with this plus it also gives him the chance to reteam with Tom Cruise in the aftermath of their also underrated though equally as grandiose sci-fi movie Oblivion from 2013 respectively. Yet even though such cinematic projects as Tron: Legacy and the aforementioned Oblivion permitted him to show his skills at utilizing CGI to maximum effect, it wouldn’t be until Only the Brave, a docudrama about a skilled team of firefighters, that this film helmer was definitely able to showcase to movie goers just what he could bring to the table as a film director. Suffice it to say that with this slice of cinema, Kosinski manages to take his skills up a few more pegs and in the process proudly make himself known to be one of the most skilled film helmers operating in the land of movie magic nowadays. Indeed not only does Kosinski brilliantly sculpt every beat of aerial action, which also includes a collection of downright phenomenal dogfight sequences that will have you on the edge of your seat whilst also clamoring for more, but he also at the same time is able to drive home the emotional moments between the titular character and his top-flight (pun intended) support cast especially when it comes to both the dynamic between Cruise and Miles Teller and the romance between him and his new love interest in this film with the latter one I guarantee you having the power to warm your heart in all the best ways. Yet when it comes to the third act that this slice of cinema is operating with, I can safely say that the third act in this slice of cinema should be a poster child for how to do the third act in a movie like this. Not just because of how it hooks you in and never once letting you go, but also in how it manages to provide moments for the audience to just burst into thunderous applause akin to certain moments from some of the slices of superhero cinema that Marvel has put out into the world in the past few years. Any way you look at it however, there is no denying that what Kosinski has managed to deliver audiences with this slice of cinema is nothing short of astonishing and should easily see this guy rise to the top of the list for the foreseeable future whenever a studio has a blockbuster that needs a skilled director to bring it vividly to life. Now it also worth pointing out that for a long time, Tom Cruise has gone on the record and said that the biggest challenge to get him to sign on the proverbial dotted line and commit to make a sequel to Top Gun was in finding a particular narrative that was not only appropriate for the world of the first film, but especially for the character of Maverick as well. Fortunately with the aid of both frequent partner-in-crime by this point in time Christopher McQuarrie as well as Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer handling the script responsibilities for this particular slice of cinema, we see that this creative team were able to accomplish this seemingly impossible mission remarkably well. Yes you should know that the narrative in this is fairly uncomplicated, but it still does manage to throw quite the emotional left hook your way throughout the course of its 2 hour-plus runtime. Yet even though the trailers for this film have really made this one seem like it’s a legacy sequel, I can assure you that there is a lot more to this slice of cinema than that. Indeed here is a film that is wonderfully constructed to operate in the “modern world” and whilst it does have its moments that pay tribute to what came before, the creative team behind the camera doesn’t have that much desire to just give us what we loved about the first one again. Instead, the team behind the camera does a brilliant job at choosing to give all of us a slice of cinema that is infinitely more rewarding and astonishingly more pathos-driven than you might be thinking. Yet it is in those moments of emotion where we see that the creative team have given us a chance to really embrace both the cast of characters at the heart of this and the world that they occupy as well.

Now, much in the same vein as the titular character, I think it is safe to say that Tom Cruise is an icon with no equal in either his generation of acting talent, the next one, or ever if I am being perfectly honest. Indeed say what you will about the man when the cameras aren’t rolling, but you can’t deny that the man has long been one of the last genuine movie stars. Suffice it to say that with Top Gun: Maverick we see that Cruise is once more permitted to just capture every aspect that made him the legend he is all those years ago, but then manages to go even further that and give us one of the finest performances of his already iconic career. Indeed it should hardly come as a surprise whatsoever to learn that Cruise manages to give 110% in regards to the action beats in this since this is exactly the thing he has done through no less than 6 (with two more on the way) entries in the Mission: Impossible series. With that said though, it’s the moments of drama in this where Cruise really manages to soar in this and it is also in these moments which permit to take this film to a higher level that he hasn’t been able to since at least the 90s to early 2000s. I mean this man’s seemingly never ending quest to be the best, both on and off camera, continues to be a source of genuine inspiration. Yet perhaps the best thing about his reprisal of this character is that, unlike a lot of Cruise’s recent films where he is able to overcome insurmountable odds with a fair degree of ease, this slice of cinema permits Cruise to actually be open and vulnerable in a film again especially when, unlike the Mission: Impossible franchise, you really don’t know what to expect to happen to his character in this by the end. As a result, we see that this requires Cruise to make the most out of every minute of screen time he is given and he nails the part hook, line, and sinker. Suffice it to say that, no matter how you feel about him personally, there is no denying that his reprisal of Maverick in this film is an all-time great performance and one that I would love to see garner Cruise some awards attention later down the road. Indeed he is that terrific in this. It also doesn’t hurt this film in the slightest that the performance given by Cruise in this is beautifully reinforced by an exceptional supporting cast which is spearheaded wonderfully by terrific work from Jennifer Connelly and Miles Teller, both of whom incidentally had also collaborated with this film’s helmer on Only the Brave as well. Indeed in regards to the former, I honestly felt that she and Cruise are terrific together and the romance that they reignite in this is not only beautifully done, but it also gives our hero a foundation to an extent whilst also raising the stakes in this film in a way that by no means felt artificial. As for the latter, I honestly feel that it is the quasi-sorta parent and child back and forth between Cruise and Teller gives this movie the majority of the large and seemingly genuine amount of heart that is present whilst also gifting Teller the opportunity to not only effectively go toe to toe with a living legend on quite a few occasions, but also give us one of the best performances he has managed to give to date. As for the rest of the fairly new kids on the block I feel that each and every one of them are not only excellent, with special regard going to Glen Powell who is a genuine highlight in anything he shows up in and here is most assuredly no different, but they all also manage to get moments to show what they can do brilliantly. Meanwhile we also see that some of the more veteran cast members like Jon Hamm (who wonderfully plays this character less like a superior officer and more like a weary school principal) and the always delightful Ed Harris both make for terrific inclusions to the cast and it is an absolute blast to see these actors share the screen with the seemingly eternally calm and collected Maverick. Finally, I would be very much in the wrong if I did not mention the beautiful job done in this by Val Kilmer in a reprisal of his role of Iceman from the original during a very important moment in the movie with Maverick. Indeed not only is the scene between the two a very emotional moment, but it is also one that could (heaven forbid) serve as a wonderful sendoff for Val Kilmer to head into the sunset on should he choose to do so. Suffice it to say that I won’t say much more other than this is easily the most potent moment in a film full of them and hats off to both Cruise and Kilmer for making it work as well as it ultimately does.

All in all and at the end of the day, there is no denying that even though we still have little over half a year left in 2022, the slice of cinema that is Top Gun: Maverick is easily one of the best movie experiences I have had so far this year. Indeed filled to the brim with aerial moments that are nothing short of incredible, action beats that will have you on the edge of your seat in the best way possible, a wonderfully giant amount of heart, a romance that feels beautifully genuine, stakes that seem naturalistic and not Hollywood artificialized in any sense, wonderful work done both in front and behind of the camera, and one of the finest performances its iconic leading man has ever given, this is not only a slice of cinema that should be seen on the biggest screen possible. Rather, it’s also the extremely uncommon follow-up that manages to best its predecessor in nearly every aspect to say nothing of a film that operates as a lovely reminder of the power that cinema truly can have. Therefore sit down and buckle up dear reader. You are in for quite the ride. On a scale of 1-5 I give Top Gun: Maverick a solid 4.5 out of 5.