Top Gun: Maverick

36 years ago, Tom Cruise starred in Top Gun, the highest grossing movie of that year. At the time, he was among the most popular movie stars. One thing that has changed from 1986 to 2022 is that Cruise stands alone as the world’s biggest film star. No actor who was a box-office force when Top Gun was released—I’m thinking of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, and Clint Eastwood—pulls in the people like Cruise does today. (Admittedly, Eastwood was a star in the 1960s, and Stallone first burst into America’s consciousness in the 1970s.) At 59, Cruise’s career remains remarkably self-sustaining and, with Mission Impossible movies slated for 2023 and 2024, I expect he’ll retain his enormous popularity for years.

One reason Cruise has stayed on top is this: he wants to make the very best movies he can. He has enough money to be one of the producers of the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, and enough clout as the film’s star to do things his way. Cruise was asked to do a sequel for years and he refused. It was obvious to all involved if Cruise was a no-go, there would be no movie. Once he signed on, Cruise insisted the actors who portray pilots go in the planes, though as passengers, not flyers. They were first in prop planes, and, later, in F-18s. The actors spent three months learning to assuage the adverse effects of riding in insanely fast jets. Cruise wanted audiences to see jets being flown, feel the intensity, and not be put off by CGI. In my mind, his idea very much succeeded. By pushing those he works with to make as authentic a work as they could, Cruise and company have made an entertaining movie.

Maverick (Cruise) is ordered to return to the Navy’s fighter training program (better known as Top Gun), displeasing Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm), the commander of Naval Air Forces. The orders originate from Maverick’s old rival, Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazinsky (Val Kilmer), a decorated officer who is gravely ill. Although he’s an accomplished pilot, Maverick has been brought back to Top Gun not to fly, but to teach grads to navigate a dicey mission travelling fast at a low altitude. Pilots will be chosen to drop bombs on a uranium plant that is protected by a mountain range and the enemy’s radar and defense system. The country isn’t named to avoid political fallout.

This action movie does an uncommonly efficient job of explaining the mission, why it’s important, and why pilots are essential in an era where so many assignments are accomplished by drones. I suppose what I’m getting at is the idea of bringing back pilots to populate a Top Gun sequel isn’t merely a crummy excuse for action. And the credit for that should go to screenwriters Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie (from a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks).

The writer’s use the Top Gun blueprint. Some examples: early flight scenes where pilots test their abilities; Maverick saves a pilot in trouble; a romance; Maverick demonstrates his bravery (which is viewed by the higher-ups as recklessness); bar scenes; instructional sequences; volleyball/football played on the sand; tragedy/conflict with the son, Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), of a late friend; the heroic flight climax; and romance wrap up. I prefer this sequel because the mission tightens the movie’s focus more than the 1986 action drama. I don’t expect this script to win any awards, yet it does the job. For instance, it got me—with the assistance of the actors—to care about the most important people, such as Maverick, Goose’s (Anthony Edwards’) son Rooster, and Penny (Jennifer Connelly), who ignites Maverick’s interest. It’s less successful with some characters, though. The young pilots have an early little section where many of them reveal they’re as cocksure as Maverick was when he was a young buck. Yet most aren’t individualized in a way that would make them stand out. And while movies need drama in small ways too, having Cyclone be overly critical of Maverick’s let’s-do-it-my-way approach doesn’t add as much tension as the movie wants. Cyclone plays a similar role as CDR Tom “Stinger” Jardian (James Tolkan) portrayed in Top Gun, but the part isn’t given enough nuance.

After many decades onscreen, Tom Cruise remains enormously likable. As Maverick, he’s affable, particularly in his renewed relationship with Penny. With her, Maverick is easygoing and not overly sensitive, as when he’s tossed out of Penny’s bar and takes his punishment with a smile. Speaking of smiling, Cruise gives his share of grins, but he doesn’t overdo it as he sometimes used to, like in Top Gun and The Color of Money. And he’s forceful in his action sequences. Miles Teller gives Rooster pent-up bitterness that gives some traction to the beef between Maverick and him. Jennifer Connelly is a pleasing screen presence as Penny, and Val Kilmer does well in his reunion with Maverick. John Hamm doesn’t have a sparkling role (as I said) as Cyclone Simpson. He doesn’t do much except act dour, and while he could have shown a bit more of his character’s humanity, he still performs acceptably.

Jospeh Kosinski’s direction gives the movie a winning vitality. The aerial dogfights are exciting, and there are some breathtaking parts to the extended grand finale. Close-ups and medium close-ups are often used to film the pilots, almost making me believe I was in the planes with them. The camerawork and visuals in the air are extraordinary. There’s a remarkable cloud formation, for instance, as Maverick flies a scramjet craft, hoping to get it to Mach 10. The sound design is fine, and so is Eddie Hamilton’s editing. The generally propulsive score, by Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, and Hans Zimmer, matches the action and successfully captures the emotions.

Though he’s decades older, Maverick hasn’t really grown much. He’s still an action-first guy who’s trying to prevent officers from implementing orders he knows are wrong, as when Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain (Ed Harrris) arrives to shut down the hypersonic “Darkstar” program and Maverick’s actions prevent that, or when Cylcone wants the pilots to take a more conservative method than Maverick has been pushing and Maverick proves his way is correct. Maverick’s actions may not be right for military protocol, but they are right for Top Gun: Maverick.