"Top Gun: Maverick" is finally here, but what's with those anonymous bad guys?
And how did the trailers mislead us about the movie's plot?
The best and worst of "Maverick," straight ahead.
There's no doubt about it: the thing that
everyone will be talking about after seeing "Top Gun: Maverick" is just how thrilling
the aerial scenes are.
"Just want to manage expectations."
A huge part of the film obviously takes place on and over U.S. soil as the class trains
under Maverick's tutelage, but even those practice dogfights are a shot of pure adrenaline,
as the old dog has plenty of tricks up his sleeve to get the best out of the new pilots.
But when they start training for the extreme g-force they'll deal with on their mission,
director Joseph Kosinski really cranks up the tension.
Maybe it's the fact that Goose dies in the original, but there's definitely the feeling
that any member of the team could be killed at any second.
When the team actually manages to pull it off and they destroy the uranium plant, it
feels so satisfying for the audience because we know how hard they've worked to get this
far.
The film does a pretty good job of carving out the tense relationship between Maverick
and Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, and it's understandable why the young pilot would be so hostile towards
his father's best friend considering the circumstances.
But even so, it comes across like the audience is missing something.
Eventually, Maverick confesses to Penny that he pulled Rooster's Navy papers to stall his
career.
Why?
Because he'd made a promise to Goose's wife that he'd stop Rooster from ending up like
his dad.
No, we don't see Meg Ryan reprise her role, we're only told that Maverick made her the
promise before she died.
It's a poor choice of plot development because it doesn't actually achieve anything.
Yes, Rooster's career was pushed back a few years, but he still winds up becoming an ace
pilot, and he's not at a disadvantage alongside the rest of the squad.
The reveal about the promise also doesn't drastically change his relationship with Maverick,
since it was already strained in the first place because of Goose's death.
The finale of "Top Gun: Maverick" is an epic race against time to blow up a uranium plant
-- one that requires expert precision, and just the right amount of speed to make it
into, and out of, the mountains.
And although it goes smoothly, for the most part, one moment sees Rooster nearly get gunned
down -- and Maverick uses his own plane to save him by throwing himself in the way.
It's here the film throws the audience a curveball by ramping up the tension in a new way, as
Maverick crash lands behind enemy lines and even tries to outrun a gunship that tries
to annihilate him as he runs through the snow.
It feels like an extra chunk of the movie that we didn't pay for, because by that point,
the movie (and the trailers) had lulled the audience into thinking that all the action
had to take place in the skies -- it feels very unpredictable in the best way.
There's no way Paramount could've done a "Top Gun" sequel without bringing back Val Kilmer
-- it would've been blasphemous.
Thankfully, Kilmer reprises his role as Iceman, who has since progressed through the ranks
to become a four-star admiral in the Navy, and he still bails Maverick out whenever he
gets in trouble.
Because what are friends for?
Iceman's even there to offer his friend some guidance with the team -- and with Rooster
-- when things start to get tough.
It's an incredibly touching moment, one that really helps provide part of the emotional
backbone of the film.
But as Iceman's wife, Sarah, explains to Maverick, the admiral is suffering from cancer, and
he doesn't have long left.
Unfortunately, he passes away before the uranium mission and gets a full military funeral to
honor his legacy.
It's sad, but it also feels a little morbid considering Kilmer's recent struggle with
throat cancer.
The star went public with his diagnosis back in 2017 and underwent chemotherapy as well
as a tracheostomy, which has damaged his voice.
Although thankfully he's been cancer-free for a few years, killing Iceman in "Top Gun:
Maverick" and making such a big deal about his death feels a little off.
During the finale, "Top Gun: Maverick" delivers yet another punch-the-air moment as Maverick
and Rooster are just seconds away from making it back to the aircraft carrier following
their daring escape out of enemy territory.
It's a pulse-pounding sequence, as they dodge missiles and try to outmaneuver the last fighter
jet that just won't stay off their tail.
That's when "Hangman" roars onto screen as he swiftly shoots down their attacker, saving
the day.
The moment works so well largely because of the rivalry between Hangman and Rooster, which
the former takes too far by making jabs about Goose earlier on in the film.
The hot-headed pilot coming in at the last minute shows he's capable of redemption, as
well as proves to the rest of the squad that he's not as selfish as he makes out and that
he's a team player.
"That's why we call him Hangman.
He'll always hang you out to dry."
Yes, Rooster and Hangman are the new Maverick and Iceman, but it works so well.
Unfortunately, there's one element of the big mission that doesn't quite work so well,
and that is encapsulated by this question: Who exactly is the U.S. Navy bombing?
During the briefing early on in the film, it's made clear that the uranium plant will
help the country's enemies produce nuclear weapons and that's why it has to be blown
to smithereens.
But the "Top Gun" sequel avoids actually explaining who it is they're up against.
The only thing we know is that this nation exists in a snowy, mountainous region to the
east somewhere.
And when the pilots eventually go head-to-head with the enemy in the sky, they're dressed
in black flight suits with no flags or patches that can be seen anywhere.
Their enemies even wear tinted helmets so the audience can't assume it's one particular
nation.
It's understandable that Paramount doesn't want to single out any particular country
as "the enemy" -- especially when there are enough political problems in the world right
now -- but avoiding the issue entirely almost makes it more obvious.
The easy option would be to just have the enemy as some kind of rogue terrorist cell,
then it wouldn't look like the studio is trying to tiptoe around real-world situations.
Of course, this could also be attributed to the fact that Paramount wants to make the
sequel universally accessible, rather than alienating a specific market.
Tom Cruise is obviously one of the biggest A-list actors in the world, and when he makes
a movie, he makes a movie.
"Top Gun: Maverick" is such a full-throttle experience that it's easy to overlook his
performance at times due to the sheer impressive action that's constantly unfolding on-screen.
"Push beyond your limits!"
But Cruise's performance is at the heart of that, and it's his work that really sells
the intensity of every risky move, every argument, and every dogfight that the film has to offer.
But as entertaining as it is to see his face get pulled back by the g-force, Cruise's best
work is done in the movie's quieter moments.
The playful dynamic between Maverick and Penny highlights his charisma, but they also have
a tender, quiet respect for their vastly different lives.
Then there's obviously the brilliantly heartfelt scene with Maverick and Iceman, which helps
the seasoned pilot figure out a way of making his students actually behave like a team.
And although we have our issues with the movie killing Iceman, Cruise's performance in the
funeral scene feels genuine and well-earned.
Of course, he pulls out his signature action hero run in the finale, but the moment which
perfectly captures what makes Cruise great in the sequel is right at the start when he
races alongside a jet while on his motorbike.
The man's got a grin from ear to ear, and it's obvious that he's having the time of
his life.
Admittedly, this one isn't such a terrible crime, mainly because it has been over 35
years since the original film came out, and it's not like it has been a long-standing
franchise with numerous sequels or spin-offs.
Some nostalgia is to be expected, but it's almost like a paint-by-numbers affair at times.
Everything you'd jokingly think of in a "Top Gun" sequel is definitely there.
It even kicks off with a montage sequence of aircraft carrier crew members prepping
fighter jets for take-off set to the iconic Kenny Loggins classic from the original soundtrack:
"Danger Zone."
There's tense rivalry between pilots -- only this time, it's Rooster and Hangman rather
than Maverick and Iceman -- and of course, there's the obligatory shirtless beach scene
where they all kick back with some team-building exercises.
The 2022 movie even recreates Maverick and Goose singing "Great Balls of Fire" on the
piano, but with Rooster and the rest of the pilots at Penny's bar instead.
It's not that these things are bad, it's just that they're a little predictable.
Thankfully, director Joseph Kosinski mostly leans on the right side of nostalgia here,
and although it doesn't look like there will be a "Top Gun 3" anytime soon, the baton has
clearly been handed over to Rooster, Hangman, and the rest of their squad.
Check out one of our newest videos right here!
Plus, even more Looper videos about your favorite movies and TV shows are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.