Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Movie Review

Hello guys and welcome back for another round of movie reviews with Movie Nerd, a place where you can be nerdy about movies!

So, I know that some time has passed since my last review and, honestly, I do agree that I am a bit late reviewing this movie but I did went for a second viewing last night because, without any hesitation that I can say this and I think that this is the general opinion about this movie, it is the best movie of 2022 so far, in my opinion. More on that next but, first, a bit of a synopsis for this one:

• After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

So, this is a movie that was long overdue, it took some time to get into cinemas because of COVID, this movie was supposed to come out in 2020 but the wait was finally over in 2022. The question is, was it worth the wait? Not only because of COVID but, the wait between the original and this one, adding to 36 years, was it worth that much of the wait?

I gladly respond to those questions with a resounding YES! The movie is amazing, so much fun, with so much intensity, drama, emotions and some really good humor. Judging by the fact that the original movie came out in 86, a year that I wasn't even an idea, not to mention not being born yet, a movie that I have also seen in preparation for this one, a fairly good movie, I liked it but this legacy sequel, as these movies are called, surpasses the original by a very high number of G's, pushing over the MACH 10 limit.

Joseph Kosinky manages, not only to pay tribute to the original, with the iconic theme song and the iconic Kenny Loggins song in the intro of the movie, which is exactly like the montage at the beginning of the original, he manages to continue and recreate the story of Maverick, a character that was not that fleshed out in the original. In this one, the story is so much more focused on the characters, Maverick, his relation with Ice and Goose's son, Rooster, played by Milles Teller, who is very good in this role. Plus, we get a more cohesive plot with the mission that they have to complete, rather than skip directly to the air fights with the jets.

Speaking of air fights, the action scenes and the flying sequences are amazing, very well shot and edited and so intense, especially the final fight in the third act of the movie, which goes on for like more than 20 minutes I think. Awesome air fights, practical, as I read and not done with any CGI but, because this is Tom Cruise, of course he wanted it to be as real as it can get and you can feel that and see that. The sound effects are also on point, with the sounds of the jets going super sonic really punching a hole through your body, so definitely see this in the cinemas, especially in IMAX, if you haven't seen it already.

I really liked that they chose to focus more on Maverick and his struggles with the past and the actual jet training and dog fights and less on the love story, which is still there but taking a second seat rather than being the main focus. Still, as less of a focus it is, it does pack a much more meaning and importance for the main character and the story.

Overall, one of the few exceptions were the sequel surpasses the original but I think this is the one legacy sequel that really was worth making, worth the wait and made the more sense. Insane visuals, superb panoramic views, awesome soundtrack, intense and well crafted action sequences, a very good amount of humor, the best kind plus the acting is on par and Tom Cruise should really be nominated for an Oscar for this role. A very emotional return, I even cried a bit at the end plus the scene with Ice and Maverick, so full of emotions and an amazing effort from Val Kilmer to do this, despite his throat cancer, which they cleverly add to his character. 9.5/10

OK guys, that was my review for this one. Next time, we return to the jurassic era of movie for the final installment, so they say, in this franchise, Jurassic World: Dominion.

Until then, take care and keep on reviewing!