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Tom Cruise. © 2022. Paramount Pictures, Skydance Media, and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. (Share the review by copying the link. Thank you for your support!) Watched it in IMAX @ AMC
Highway to the Danger Zone! After over 30 years from the original, Tom Cruise is back to his roots. Instead of flying fake jets, he's flying true jets at unbelievable rates of speed. Watching this film was truly badass. The summer event that movie theaters needed in a long time. A pure kickass film for every type of audience just looking to have fun at the movie theaters. Tom Cruise is just saving action cinema. Sorry, Marvel. If you want a true legacy sequel, this is the film that you are looking film. It will please the OG fans and the new ones as well. This is a film that should be seen only in theaters on the biggest screen possible. I would never see Tom Cruise flying a jet and risking his life for cinema. But I mean...yeah let's not talk about it. But the film is wild on every level and there are a lot of positive things about this film that I want to discuss in this review. From the opening scene to the training scenes to the drama and to the real dogfight, it's epic in many ways. It's a film that takes risks and lets the audience be a part of it. A true blockbuster film since Avengers Endgame and you will see why in this in-depth review. Let's fly into this review and experience near-death situations. Slight Spoilers Ahead from the original Top Gun (1986). After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it. Watching the original before this helped me to get connected with Maverick and the old and new characters in the film. While you don't need to watch the original film, it helps the viewer to return to the same world and have a deeper connection to Maverick and the new generation of pilots. There are a lot of references from the original with the pictures from the final flight to iconic lines and the score of the film. Also to mention the song "Danger Zone". This song is basically the theme song of Top Gun and it will always be one of the most iconic songs in original film songs history. But I cannot forget the opening scene of the original. The opening scene is remade again in the sequel but more badass. This scene is basically nostalgia for old fans but also a huge staple in the top gun series. This opening scene alone sold my interest for the entire film and lets the audience know that this film will be badass. The editing in the intro is phenomenal. Perfectly synchronized to the "Danger Zone" song with the beats and the sound design. It's crisp and beautiful. It's a homage to the original and thanking the fans for sticking around for this sequel. I loved every second of that intro and it got me pumped for the entire film knowing that I will have a good time. I wish it could've been longer but it was still perfect and I got goosebumps and chills while watching the opening scene. So good. But that's not the only fantastic scene in the film. There are more elements that make this film a kickass blockbuster ride. The story itself is simple yet translated and executed perfectly. If you watch the original film and go into this film, you will see a lot of similarities with its story beats but the narrative is different and quite the opposite. The film follows Maverick training the new generation of pilots for a dangerous mission that could be life or death. He's the instructor now but he isn't a general or a commander sitting behind a desk. He is still a captain and he still flies jets for the US air force as a test pilot and for fun because he's Tom Cruise. Maverick was hired by Iceman who is played by Val Kilmer. He's back in the film and he's not just in photos but he has one heartful scene with Maverick. The story is really focused on Maverick trying to help Goose's son Rooster to overcome his fears of doing the same mistakes as his father and becoming the best on the team. But for Maverick, it's overcoming the death of Goose and raising Rooster in becoming the best pilot to the limits. This film is more than passing the torch to a new generation. It's about moving on from the past and pushing yourself with the new technology but teaching the new pilots about the old tactics that are still used in the air force. Embracing the new while still being the same old pilot and helping the new crew be the new faces of this generation's top gun class. The story is well-executed and if you are familiar with the first film, this film will be very easy to follow. But here's the major positive thing. The film also stands like its own film. You don't need to watch the first film to understand Maverick's motives or feelings. With quick flashbacks shown in the film and some quick exposition of Maverick's career, you are already caught up with the major events. But with the original film already in mind, it's a way better experience, and you are already in love with these characters and want them to succeed. It's a heartful mature story that focuses on the characters themselves over unnecessary "agendas" and uses plot over characters. It's all about the characters achieving one goal and the film beautifully does that. The story is very strong in this film and while it's similar in its beats to the original, it's looking back at the original story in a whole new way from an older audience and looking at it with a newer audience. It's like the old audience were the hotshots in the original and now they are Tom Cruise themselves looking at the new audience as the new generation of pilots. A metaphor of filmmaking. Now after typing that sentence, it is really a metaphor for the new filmmakers. It's like Tom Cruise is teaching Joseph Kosinski to direct top gun since he's still a young director but after watching this film, he's not new anymore and he's already one of the best directors in Hollywood working today. He proves himself to be a fantastic director and wants this film to be taught to young filmmakers like me. It's like Martin Scorsese teaching the young filmmakers how to direct a gangster film and push themselves to the limits of directing. It's like that with the story. While Tom Cruise is getting old, he is still active and he's not finished yet and continues to do his old job while teaching the young pilots and actors on becoming like him or being the best of themselves. The story is very smart and this analysis really helps the story become truly special. But while the story is very great, the characters are the ones who are the heart of this film. Tom Cruise as Maverick is fantastic in the film. His character is the strongest one in the film with his story continuing from the first film. He is still the same old cocky person and he still has his old flying skills. But his character still hasn't moved passed on from the death of his best friend Goose. Plus, his character is facing new enemy territory, new advanced jets, and a new crew he has to lead. He's now a teacher and this was hinted at in the original film in the end. But his biggest challenge would be teaching Goose's son Rooster on becoming the best but it will conflict with his father's death and his relationship with Maverick. It's difficult for Maverick but in the film, he managed to help Rooster on becoming like his father and carry on his father's torch. Maverick's character arc is very well written with many in-depth choices from the character in the final dogfight scene. Maverick relationship with the other characters felt very natural because of Tom Cruise's performance. Cruise did a fantastic job in his performance and he is still the same old Maverick. What's more amazing about his performance is when he performs the real jet sequences, his performance on the ground is more real and emotional. With the two different types of performances he did in the film, he made his character more realistic and more relatable due to Cruise's performance. Tom Cruise was born to play Maverick and he is still fantastic. There are moments when he makes fun of his age. Now he is really showing his age in this film but he still kicking ass. Tom Cruise was awesome in the film and he's one of the last or maybe the last action Hollywood stars on pushing the cinema format and making true action blockbusters for the general audience. The supporting cast is fantastic in this film. They deliver great performances from the main generals to the new crew. Rooster is amazing in this film and is portrayed by Miles Teller. He feels like Goose in the way he acts. But he is more of a heated person to Maverick and he wants to be the best of his crew and to be like his father. His chemistry with the crew felt very natural and he was the stand-out in the crew. The rest of the crew was awesome. Bob was the wholesome member and he was pretty funny. Hangman was funny and he's the "Iceman" of the new crew. He's a dick but he's a guy who wants to help everyone and the big guy in the crew. Phoenix was awesome in the film and kept the entire crew at peace. Payback, Fanboy, and Coyote were also great in the film and they were the best buddies in the film. Everyone in the new crew did a fantastic job on the ground and on the air. Maverick's new love interest Penny was a much better-written love interest this time. The other love interest was good but it was weak and if the original actress returned, well, it wouldn't fit with the main cast. You know why. Google her name up and she's out of this film in an instant and Tom Cruise is old but still looks young. Jennifer Connelly as the new love interest worked and her performance was pretty great. The generals were also great and Jon Hamm really looks like he can be a general someday but it's funny that Ed Harris in this film and he is still the same old serious character. Everyone did a great job in the film but I cannot forget the one character from the original. Val Kilmer as Iceman. Val Kilmer as Iceman is back and I'm so happy that they respect not only his character but the actor. Kilmer suffered throat cancer and while he's not a major character in the film like Tom Cruise, he still vital to the overall story and series. He hired Maverick to lead this new crew and if he didn't hire him, Maverick would've stayed as a US test pilot. His scene with Maverick in his office was beautiful. He even gets to speak with Maverick and this was one of the best legacy sequel scenes I have ever. A well-made directed scene respecting the actor, character, and his relationship with Maverick. What an amazing scene. I would love to see more of Iceman in future films if Val Kilmer is up to it. Everyone in the cast was amazing and they did an incredible job in the film. I also liked the cool relationship between Admiral Warlock and Maverick. A funny relationship. I hope the crew comes back for another sequel. Let's not forgot the meat of this film. The airplane and jet sequences. They are phenomenal. Every shot has care with the actors acting or maybe not acting like they are in the jets. They are really in the jets and it makes their acting way more realistic. The jet sequences in IMAX were mind-blowing. There are more jet sequences in the film than in the original and a lot of dedication was put into these scenes. Some of the visual effects were used for unrealistic flying sequences because scientific reasons were seamless and I thought there were real. The technology is so far advanced that maybe all of the jet sequences are real including the bridge shot. But we know that bridge shot is CGI. But besides that, the sequences were fantastically directed and captured all the right shots and it didn't feel really shaky or fake. All of it was real because of Tom Cruise. Thank you Cruise for making Marvel look cheap as hell. The jet sequences were dope because of the IMAX cameras. It's not the IMAX Film cameras, but rather the digital IMAX Sony cameras. The aspect ratio is better and the resolution is way better when projected on IMAX screens. The jet sequences in IMAX were amazing and having the full screen and sound was just mind-blowing. It feels like you are inside a VR headset but the VR screen is the IMAX screen. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful with the rich orange colors in the film. It's staying true to the original colors of the film but switched to modern film and with the change of color, the tone of the film is also changed. The film is well shot for grounded scenes with many creative angles and wide shots to make the film feel big. The jet sequences were fantastically shot and they were a lot of wide shots to make it huge when seen in theaters. Barley any shaky cams and there were a variety of shots that were used in the film and they selected those shots well. The editing is fantastic and perfectly executed. A lot of creative editing decisions were well in place and we get more time inside every shot to get into the moment. The score is absolutely fantastic. I got chills when the main theme plays and during serious scenes or the final dogfight, the score got me pumped and excited. Danger Zone song is still a banger and the new song from Lady Gaga "Hold My Hands" is amazing. Chills every time. I don't know how they did it but the team did a fantastic job. The sound design is crisp and fucking good. You can hear every tiny detail from the jet thrust to a huge explosion. This was meant to be seen in a premium theater format. Overall, the production is fantastic and every department delivered to their name and took every opportunity to make this film as kickass as possible. Legit perfection with the film's production. Skydance and Bruckheimer, you guys rock. I have no negative thoughts about this film. It's a perfect legacy sequel and this is what studios should follow if they have any projects like this in the works. I have some tiny nitpicks like I wanted to see more of Iceman and to see Goose's wife in the film. Also, the story beats are pretty similar which can bother the fans like me a bit. I wish they could've changed some of the story beats but have it somewhat similar to the original to make it as fresh as possible. But it didn't ruin the core of the story. All those nitpicks aside, this film is still a perfect sequel and one of the best sequels ever made. This is how you make a legacy sequel. Bringing back some of the original cast as the main ones and having the new cast be supportive. You are following the original, not the new one. You want your old characters to succeed in their mission with the new crew and lead them into new territory or carry the torch and create their own stories and world around them. Plus for Christ's sake, don't include "The Message" because it wasn't in the original and it divides the original audience. If it ain't broke, then why fix it? A simple sentence and the production crew followed that statement within their film hearts. Scream (2022) did a similar thing and they have done a great job of respecting the old characters and bringing the new cast but they make fun of it in a serious way. They have their own themes and it's a way different film from Top Gun: Maverick. Still, this film proves how legacy sequels should work with its characters, world-building, storylines, and reintroducing the series to a whole new generation. It's the perfect film for the new and old audiences. I was in a filled theater with young viewers, kids, parents, and even grandparents. Every generation is there and everyone is having a blast. This showing proved that legacy sequels can attract every generation and the old fans. I'm really happy to see the general audience back for a true action film rather than a superhero film event. Cinema is really back. Top Gun: Maverick delivered and blew my expectations right from the beginning. A heartful, intense action film with amazing performances and a well-written script. Joseph Kosinski proved that he's a fantastic director and he can pull off a legacy sequel since Tron: Legacy. This film blew my mind and it's a must-watch in any premium format, especially in IMAX if you want to see the film on full screen. This is how you do a true legacy sequel and I cannot wait for Tom Cruise's next film in the Mission Impossible franchise. He is really saving action cinema and bringing back audiences to the theaters. This film was kickass amazing, beautiful, and emotional, and watching the final scene was very emotional. I kind of cried but I wanted to cry more. I was smiling at the end and watching the old airplane flying through the sunset knowing that I have just seen one of the best films of all time. Thank you Tom Cruise, Joseph Kosinski, and Jerry Bruckheimer for making this dope-ass sequel. Now Playing Only in Theaters including in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, and Screen X. Vizeit Score: "A+" Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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