Thirty-six years after Top Gun, and two years after its original release date, in Top Gun: Maverick Tom Cruise returns to his most iconic character to remind us all just how wonderful blockbuster movies can be.
When we rejoin ace Navy airman Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in the present day, he's working as a test pilot pushing the limits of human-controlled flight in an experimental plane. Remember when all our heroes were test pilots? Bring back test pilots!
Although the future of air combat belongs to drones, some jobs still require humans and so Maverick is called back to the Navy's Fighter Weapons School (aka Top Gun) to teach an assortment of top young pilots how to execute a superlatively dangerous mission into enemy territory. I don't think they ever actually name the country, they're just "the enemy".
Among the pilots is Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick's old co-pilot Goose, who died in the first film. There's considerable tension between Rooster and Maverick, but the real problem is getting the pilots up to snuff so they can pull off the near-suicide mission and return home alive.
Although the original's director, Tony Scott, is no longer with us (the film is dedicated to him), his replacement, Joseph Kosinski, channels the first film's aesthetic and tone beautifully. You could be forgiven for thinking there's no place in the modern world for this kind of extreme machismo and bravado, but it all works here. It really works.
There's more story this time around, too. Where Top Gun often felt like a mood piece, there are actual plot mechanics here. The stakes are well-articulated, the odds are seemingly insurmountable, and nobody with superpowers is coming to save the day. Well, Maverick comes close, but this is a nice reminder that the best movie heroes are not super.
Another welcome point of difference is the emphasis on actual flying footage over computer-generated imagery. Although CGI undoubtedly plays a role, there's a tangibility to the (many) flying scenes that gives literal and figurative weight to the proceedings. The climactic action set-piece is a true wonder.
Cruise's megawatt charisma flows effortlessly off the screen. If you can resist his charms, you're not human. The cast around him is pretty great too. Jon Hamm (Mad Men) is amusing as the stern headmaster, and Teller really looks like Anthony Edwards' son. But of the supporting cast, the real standout is Glen Powell as the cocky Hangman - it's a classic star-making performance.
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Advertise with NZME.But it ultimately comes down to Cruise, doing what he does best. Maverick's maverick spirit remains something to celebrate – he's still bucking authority after all these years, and it's glorious. This man is the king.
You don't have to have dad energy to embrace this movie. It's awesomely old fashioned and impressively modern at the same time. Fists will pump, eyes will mist.
Cast: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Running time: 137 minutes
Rating: M (Violence & offensive language)
Verdict: The Last Movie Star brings the magic.
