TOP GUN: MAVERICK : A Guide on How to do a Legacy Sequel

36 years ago the most effective recruitment ad for the military was made: Top Gun. Watching this film in 2022 feels like a fever dream filled with orange spray tans, flying volleyball, and sweat. It was hyper-fixated on the brotherhood one could attain in the Top Gun program instead of defeating its vague enemy (most likely Russia). The long-awaited follow-up plays on familiar territory established by the OG but on a bigger budget that will have audiences wanting to get a pilot’s license right after.

Following legacy sequels, the film is a meticulous reconstruction that reflects changing attitudes of society without feeling like it is trying too hard to be relevant. It could still be an 80’s movie that just so happened to be made in the 2010s. It is its timelessness that makes it stand out from lackluster sequels and reboots society has been plagued with. Weirdly it even serves as a metaphor for the current state of the film industry with Cruise representing a dying breed of theater films amongst a new wave of streamers. This film really illuminates the idea that Tom Cruise.

Audiences reunite with Maverick in a state they last remember him in, older but still reckless and strangely able to do anything without failure. In his old age, he is haunted by his past and he is willing to put himself into any harm. Based on what he has seen he has made it his mantra to make sure people know the risks they are taking and puts the lives of others even before his own.

I would watch two hours of dog fights because that was the core of this film. The passage of time played in Top Gun’s favor to be able to have the advanced technology to capture these choreographed battles. It feels like a dance in the sky.

Certain scenes feel like copy and paste of the original including the same opening to Danger Zone and a group bonding game of beach football. While it uses nostalgia it doesn’t overindulge. Some characters seem like more developed versions of ones from the first movie but it works. It is a wholesome film about humanity and the inclusion of the touching moment with Val Kilmer really brought this film together.

Tom Cruise might save cinema.