Talking about delays is rather common when it comes to several of the movies that have come out in the last couple of years, but Top Gun: Maverick is one of those that was worth the wait, especially since the idea has been kicked around for quite a while now. Getting into the story is about as much fun as one might expect since, despite his age, Captain Pete Mitchell has done what he can to avoid promotion so that he can continue to fly. There are plenty of spoilers coming, just fair warning, but in all honesty, this was an enjoyable and entertaining movie that made good use of a few characters from the original movie, even if the new characters didn’t feel like they had a lot of depth to them. This was Maverick’s movie to be certain, since Rooster, the son of Maverick’s former wingman, Goose, and Hangman, Rooster’s rival, are developed just enough to be interesting but don’t take on any serious depth that might make them the stars of the movie. Somehow, this doesn’t detract from the movie as much, but it does feel as though it could have rounded things out a bit and made for a much more complete movie.
As things stand, however, the dynamic between Maverick and Rooster was fleshed out well enough that it was seen to dominate the movie, giving a great story between the two of them that was about more than Goose’s death. It would appear that Maverick attempted to keep Rooster from being a pilot, at the behest of his mother, who passed away years earlier. Instead of telling Rooster that his mother asked him to do so, Maverick took the full brunt of the blame, and therefore earned Rooster’s ire. When a hidden base that’s being used to store Uranium is found in enemy territory though, Maverick, who is only a hop, skip, and a jump away from being drummed out of the Navy is brought back to teach the next group of pilots that will be assigned to take on the mission.
Despite his reluctance, Maverick does return to Top Gun, and after being given a rough introduction in the local bar the night before, he quickly lets the pilots know how tough the mission is going to be. Not only is the mission insanely difficult, it’s also nearly impossible thanks to banks of SAMs (Surface to Air Missiles) and enemy radar that forces the pilots to learn how to navigate a difficult ravine before hitting an insanely tough target and then climbing quickly to an altitude that will allow them to avoid being dashed against the side of a mountain. Tensions rise among the group as the pilots vie for the chance to become group leader, and to simply be included in the mission, as those who aren’t selected would be kept on standby. In a surprise move, Maverick selects Rooster as his ally, no matter that Rooster has made it clear throughout a good part of the movie that he doesn’t care much for Maverick. But during the mission, it’s seen that Rooster saves Maverick after Maverick saves his life.
The two then board an aged F-14 in an attempt to make their way back to the aircraft carrier, but they’re accosted by two advanced enemy jets that are far more advanced. As it’s noted, however, the skill of the pilot is much more important than the tools they’re working with, at least this time. Maverick manages to evade and outmaneuver all but one pilot, who might have shot them down had Hangman not shown up in the nick of time. This movie was entertaining in a few different ways, but seeing Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reunite after so long was great since the movie turned Ice Man into an admiral, and even found a way to address Kilmer’s very real condition in a way that made sense. The loss of his voice, or near-loss, managed to help create a great scene that was rather powerful. Not only that, but Iceman had become a high-ranking admiral by this time, and had a great deal of pull that made it possible to bring Maverick back, even if the current admiral had no respect for Maverick’s tactics.
All in all, this movie was a lot of fun and it moved quickly despite its run time, as one could easily find themselves getting lost in Maverick’s story as he found it necessary to deal with the past while attempting to create a future for several young pilots. There weren’t a lot of expectations walking into this movie, especially since it’s been so long, but the blending of the past with the present made for an enjoyable story this time around, and as it should have been expected, a lot of those hitting the theaters are those that can easily remember the first movie.
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