Movie Breakdown: Top Gun: Maverick

Pre-Screening Stance:

Like many of you, I haven’t spent the last 36 years pining for a Top Gun sequel, but hey, one is here and it looks pretty dang fun. Also, is anyone else out there still crafting and starring in pure, spectacle-driven blockbusters like Tom Cruise? I don’t think so.

Post-Screening Ramble:

Top Gun: Maverick begins with Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone blaring as jets jump off the deck and people enthusiastically celebrate said jets jumping off the deck, in case you were wondering if this movie was crafted with anything other than a desire to inspire folks to shove themselves into overdrive. As for the plot, it’s a pretty simple setup. Maverick (Tom Cruise) has been called in to train a group of Top Gun graduates for a mission that may be … impossible. And as if that wasn’t going to be hard enough, one of the selected pilots is Goose’s son, call sign Rooster (Miles Tiles).

I had such a blast with Top Gun: Maverick. It’s a prime example of the sort of movie that you go to a theater for, the kind that warrants the purchase of the biggest bucket of popcorn and a soda the size of your head. I laughed frequently, cheered often, and then smiled all the way home. Tom Cruise once again proves that he’s the greatest action star of all time, and director Joseph Kosinski gets in some absolutely jaw-dropping shots while striking the exact right balance between nostalgia and new. I want to watch it again immediately, and I want to do so on the biggest screen that I can find. See you there.

Top Gun: Maverick soars into theaters this Friday, May 27.

One Last Thought:

I’m all about the Lady Gaga track (and the epic video – see below) that was made for this movie. So much so in fact that it’s made me nostalgic for when seemingly every blockbuster had an original number crafted solely for its soundtrack.