Top Gun: Maverick
Director Joseph Kosinski best known for his work on Tron and Oblivion has created his current masterpiece with Top Gun: Maverick.
Featuring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Glen Powell and so many more for a phenomenal cast.
Top Gun: Maverick was released on the 27th of May 2022, distributed by Paramount Pictures, this film is a stellar blockbuster having made over a billion dollars worldwide.
It is no exaggeration when I say this is one of the best sequels to any film that I have ever seen and though I have not seen the first, I’m sure many will agree with me that the second installment far surpasses the first that was released in 1986.
After more than thirty years of service Capt. Pete “Maverick” played by Tom Cruise is one of the Navy’s top aviators that has finally found the place that he belongs, as a test pilot avoiding all advancement in rank that would essentially ground him.
However, with the advancement of technology and drones in the military, Maverick is placed in a difficult situation when he is requested by Admiral Cyclone to lead the next generation of Top Gun’s elite graduates on a suicidal mission that will require the greatest of skills, perception, and teamwork.
Firstly I need to express my utmost respect towards Director Joseph Kosinksi for pitching this movie to Tom Cruise, as I’ve seen a lot of sequel films yet none of them, and I mean NONE of them come close to this perfection.
Act 1 delivers a thrilling introduction to those that have not seen the first film with serious consequences if Maverick does not achieve the goal of reaching Mach 10 which had me holding my breath as if I were the one flying the jet.
It’s not even been ten minutes into the film and already I’m invested, I’m sold, I want more, give me more, please.
In the first act, we get a clear picture of the type of person Maverick is and how much he values the assistance of others but it isn’t till later that we understand why this is.
I loved how we meet the 12 elite graduates at a local bar, having a drink and playing pool, making it simple to understand the different characters’ traits, who is who, and what they have to offer on this mission.
As for the pacing of the film, generally, a film over 2 hours would start to feel as if it were going on forever especially when there is only one mission but that’s the beauty of this film.
After experiencing the amazing character buildup for characters such as Rooster, Hangman, and Phoenix, including the risks and importance of this mission; you can not help but want to see them succeed, you want to see them survive what looks like an impossible situation.
So time doesn’t even feel like it’s there. It has a great way of connecting the audience to the characters that two hours eleven minutes only feels like an hour.
For a lack of better words, I can not wrap my head around the insane difficulty that is required to make this film.
From the Jet fighting scenes to the training scenes for both phases 1 and 2 but then I remembered seeing Jerry Bruckheimer’s name in the production lineup – with this man in your corner, anything is possible.
The characters throughout this film are incredible and interesting and I wish we could get to see how they made it to become Top Gun Elites, so if there are any spin-off films to be made, please let us get Lt. Jake Hangman’s first.
Joseph Kosinksi deserves the greatest director’s award this year for this outstanding sequel that has turned me into a Top Gun fan within mere minutes, same with Tom Cruise, the risks this man puts on his body for the enjoyment of his fans should not be taken for granted.
Easily one of the best films of the year, I recommend watching it, there is no need to watch the first as it’s easy to understand how we came to be here.
*Clapping my hands in applauds*
Let me know what you loved about Top Gun: Maverick, is there something you wanted to see more off, or do you want a spin-off film of the other graduates?
Leave it all in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate it.
Joseph Kosinski
“I would have them start at the beginning, just in the order I made them, because I think that's been my journey as a filmmaker. In every film I've learned something new and tried to apply that to the next one.”