Top Gun: Maverick movie review — Supersonic sequel expands the myth of Tom Cruise 

Language: English The mission at the heart of Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick is obliterating a Uranium facility operated by the ‘enemy’, something that could directly affect America’s ‘allies’ in the region. The enemy isn’t named here, and for all intents and purposes doesn’t even have a face. If you’re expecting the 2022 film to digress from its flippant roots, and comment on America’s increasingly controversial stances on geopolitical issues, then you’re in the wrong classroom.   As much as the 1986 original (and to a large extent even its 2022 sequel) resembles a Navy recruitment video, it’s also a little more. Both movies are vehicles for its star, Tom Cruise, an actor whose ambitions to tear the envelope around what’s “possible” in an action film, have only become more unforgiving for himself and his crew, in the last two decades. One of the last truly global movie stars, whose name alone could fill theatres in Mumbai, Marrakesh, and anywhere in between, Cruise blurs the lines between himself and Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. Like the original, even this one’s about fast bikes, dark aviators, supersonic planes and sweaty, muscular men with grease on their arms, a spanner in their palms, pushing the limits of male bravado. What works in favour of the sequel is how secure it is in its identity of what Top Gun stands for. [caption id=“attachment_9931611” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] (Image from Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP)[/caption] If the original film directed by the late Tony Scott, practically opened up a new chapter of action filmmaking with cameras up in US Navy fighter planes showcasing dogfights like never before, Kosinski’s film propels it further by a factor of ten. Top Gun: Maverick routinely cuts to a display screen telling us the speed of the aircraft (Mach 9, Mach 10), the gravitational force faced by the pilot in the cockpit (8Gs… 9Gs) while dodging missile sensors, putting us inside the plane and making the action that much more immediate.   Top Gun: Maverick, like its predecessor, is closer to a sports film than a war film. Kosinski’s film seems to understand this better than anyone else. Which is why the details of this seemingly “impossible” mission are explained painstakingly almost as if it were a game. This ensures we’re in on the high-wire act the pilots are attempting. Captain Mitchell is the instructor for the eight best pilots in the US Navy, all former toppers from Top Gun. They’re all cocksure and brimming with eagerness like Cruise in the 1986 original. One of them is the son (played by Miles Teller)  of Maverick’s former partner, Goose (Anthony Edwards), whose death proved to be the tragedy that made Maverick introspect about his reckless, rebellious ways.   Even though still governed by his ‘need for speed’, one can almost see how life has passed him by on the immaculate canvas that is Cruise’s face. The effortless smile of youth is now replaced with middle-aged dread. His face seems to tell the story of a man who knows he has cheated death too often, and that a freak accident might just be around the corner. In a rather vulnerable moment, Maverick confides in his friend - “This is who I am. How do I teach it?”

Top Gun: Maverick is a rare sequel that is arguably better than the original, especially how it sneaks in the fan service without drawing any attention.

Whether it’s a moment where young pilots become embroiled in an awkward situation with their instructor at a pub, a familiar song being played at the piano, or the manner in which Maverick races a fighter jet on his distinctly red Kawasaki Ninja while donning that famous jacket and aviators with “Danger Zone” playing in the background. There’s also a scene where Maverick turns his plane on a rival’s. Also, how the film accommodates Val Kilmer’s Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, communicating with Maverick with words on a screen, after losing his voice, bringing Maverick one step closer to realising how obsolete he might be in the era of drone warfare.  

And yet, Top Gun: Maverick reminded me of another great film that ruminates on this classic predicament between man and machine: James Mangold’s Ford vs Ferrari. In the 2019 film, a seemingly shiny, invincible opponent is taken on and beaten by a scrappy car mechanic and his undeniable grit. There might be a metaphor here somewhere, between the Marvel slate of films and blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick (or for that matter even the Mission Impossible films) that at least try to look, sound and smell different, even though they all end in a familiar manner.   At the forefront of this clash is a man named Tom Cruise, who wants nothing less than our jaws on the floor. Proving that no amount of multiverse films or superstar cameos will replace the blood, sweat and adrenaline of an actor legitimately trying to push the boundaries of filmmaking. We can be rest assured that if it’s a Tom Cruise film, he will not let us down. Rating: * * * * Top Gun: Maverick releases in cinemas on 27 May

Tatsam Mukherjee has been working as a film journalist since 2016. He is based out of Delhi NCR. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.