I was a big Top Gun fan (as was mostly everyone I knew) back in the late 80's and early 90's. It was the highest grossing movie of 1986 for a reason. So I was very excited to finally get a chance to see this sequel a day earlier than the advertised release date. We went at the very first matinee and everyone in the theatre enjoyed it. It was fun and triggered lots of chuckles and laughs with subtle humor.
I cried at probably at least five or six scenes, whether from nostalgia, heavy hearted references to either character deaths or character relationships, or the romance scenes. In addition to the humor and sad scenes, there was also some good drama and intense jet fighter sequences. The director and writers blended the concept of a difficult fighter jet mission with fun training scenes, romance, and callbacks to the original.
I'm not going to lie- this is a good movie. I'm not exaggerating that I barely blinked during the entire run time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, with which most of the time when I wasn't being tear-jerked, I had a silly grin on my face or was chuckling at the subtle humor. However, I will say that if I wasn't a big fan of the first one, I might not have liked it as much as I did. That's because it was a great as a fan of the first one to have so many references to anything in part one.
The ending was good, but it could have been even better, even though it was intense enough to have me sweating a little. But one of the biggest drawbacks of Top Gun 2 is also one of its strengths, in my opinion, in a way. I got the impression that ultimately this is a movie that is more made for kids and teens than adults, and what that means is that the content is mostly light and shies away from any kind of violence or sexuality, which would have made it feel more mature and realistic. For example, in the original Top Gun, it has heavy profanity, really intense romance and sex for a PG movie, a pilot dies depicted with a face covered in blood after ejecting, and the dialogue by actors like Tom Skeritt make the stakes seem higher and more realistic: "what we do up there is dangerous". Maverick's dad's fate in Vietnam is also discussed to paint a realistic picture of the stakes. Overall, it just felt more gritty, whereas "Top Gun Maverick" keeps it ultra "clean" considering the dangers of flying and the explicit nature of locker room talk and sexuality.
What this means is you get a sequel movie that is much more appropriate for teens and kids than adults, yet being an adult I kind of wish the stakes would have felt as heavy as they could have been. It would have been sadder, but it also would've been more mature and realistic. It is what it is. It's still a good movie, but it could have been better.
I'm glad that I saw it early. As a nostalgic, emotional, fun summer popcorn movie, it was a blast, but if you're expecting a Best Pic contender or something remarkably original and profound, unfortunately the writers and directors "had the shot, but refused to fire it", and for that the movie comes up a bit short in cliches, cheese, and yes even lacking believability at key moments. I think there was an Oscar-contender somewhere in this story, but the creators of it decided to go another direction, more into a "popcorn" and feel-good movie of the summer. That's fine and I don't blame them since the target audience was clearly younger kids, which makes it a nice, wholesome movie for a change.
Jennifer Connelly, despite a small supporting role, was the key to this movie. Other than Cruise, who does have a few stumbling moments at times, her confident experience as an actor makes every look she gives and line she says add credibility to what is an otherwise rather superficial script for supporting actors. The other good role that stands out is Val Kilmer's pleasantly surprising (and funny at times) reappearance as Admiral Iceman. Then, Teller does a pretty impressive job as Goose's kid.
At the end of the day, "Top Gun Maverick" succeeds and soars as a nostalgic, deeply emotional surprise triumphant action flick, with flight battle scenes so intense it'll make you sweat in your seat, while it also crashes into some of the mountainous cliches that have been built and established by Hollywood throughout the years. So grab a seat and some popcorn and take a trip back to the 80s and 90s, a much simpler time, with some updated special effects and tech upgrades.
I cried at probably at least five or six scenes, whether from nostalgia, heavy hearted references to either character deaths or character relationships, or the romance scenes. In addition to the humor and sad scenes, there was also some good drama and intense jet fighter sequences. The director and writers blended the concept of a difficult fighter jet mission with fun training scenes, romance, and callbacks to the original.
I'm not going to lie- this is a good movie. I'm not exaggerating that I barely blinked during the entire run time of 2 hours and 10 minutes, with which most of the time when I wasn't being tear-jerked, I had a silly grin on my face or was chuckling at the subtle humor. However, I will say that if I wasn't a big fan of the first one, I might not have liked it as much as I did. That's because it was a great as a fan of the first one to have so many references to anything in part one.
The ending was good, but it could have been even better, even though it was intense enough to have me sweating a little. But one of the biggest drawbacks of Top Gun 2 is also one of its strengths, in my opinion, in a way. I got the impression that ultimately this is a movie that is more made for kids and teens than adults, and what that means is that the content is mostly light and shies away from any kind of violence or sexuality, which would have made it feel more mature and realistic. For example, in the original Top Gun, it has heavy profanity, really intense romance and sex for a PG movie, a pilot dies depicted with a face covered in blood after ejecting, and the dialogue by actors like Tom Skeritt make the stakes seem higher and more realistic: "what we do up there is dangerous". Maverick's dad's fate in Vietnam is also discussed to paint a realistic picture of the stakes. Overall, it just felt more gritty, whereas "Top Gun Maverick" keeps it ultra "clean" considering the dangers of flying and the explicit nature of locker room talk and sexuality.
What this means is you get a sequel movie that is much more appropriate for teens and kids than adults, yet being an adult I kind of wish the stakes would have felt as heavy as they could have been. It would have been sadder, but it also would've been more mature and realistic. It is what it is. It's still a good movie, but it could have been better.
I'm glad that I saw it early. As a nostalgic, emotional, fun summer popcorn movie, it was a blast, but if you're expecting a Best Pic contender or something remarkably original and profound, unfortunately the writers and directors "had the shot, but refused to fire it", and for that the movie comes up a bit short in cliches, cheese, and yes even lacking believability at key moments. I think there was an Oscar-contender somewhere in this story, but the creators of it decided to go another direction, more into a "popcorn" and feel-good movie of the summer. That's fine and I don't blame them since the target audience was clearly younger kids, which makes it a nice, wholesome movie for a change.
Jennifer Connelly, despite a small supporting role, was the key to this movie. Other than Cruise, who does have a few stumbling moments at times, her confident experience as an actor makes every look she gives and line she says add credibility to what is an otherwise rather superficial script for supporting actors. The other good role that stands out is Val Kilmer's pleasantly surprising (and funny at times) reappearance as Admiral Iceman. Then, Teller does a pretty impressive job as Goose's kid.
At the end of the day, "Top Gun Maverick" succeeds and soars as a nostalgic, deeply emotional surprise triumphant action flick, with flight battle scenes so intense it'll make you sweat in your seat, while it also crashes into some of the mountainous cliches that have been built and established by Hollywood throughout the years. So grab a seat and some popcorn and take a trip back to the 80s and 90s, a much simpler time, with some updated special effects and tech upgrades.