I was not a ‘Top Gun‘ fan in 1986 when the original movie was released. I didn’t become a fan even after watching this sequel called ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ directed by Joseph Kosinski. I like action movies when they are based on an interesting story, with characters that I can identify with as a viewer. In the case of the ‘Top Gun’ movies, the stories are boring for me, the characters are schematic and I can’t identify in any way with the macho and militaristic culture propagated by these films, whatever the uniforms that the heroes wear. The 1956 ‘Top Gun‘ proposed to teenagers and young people of that time an amplified version of the fun things specific to the age before the Internet, mobile phones and virtual realities. It was a world fascinated by speed, motorcycles, cars and planes. Transferring some of its heroes to the second decade of the third millennium, ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ mostly relies on a retro effect despite the new aircraft models. Of course, the most precious retro element of all is Tom Cruise himself, an actor I admire for his past achievements in other genres, and for what he does in action movies (though I am finding the ‘Mission: Impossible’ series much more interesting) . The result, in my opinion, is a huge public success but not an artistic success.
What I liked about this movie: First of all, Tom Cruise, the actor who manages to insuflate some life into action heroes, who looks at 60 like he’s 40 and who makes this sequel look like it’s done 10 years and not 34 years after the original movie. Retro elements (clothing, music, motorcycles and airplanes) that make the conflict between generations acceptable, which is one of the main themes of the film. The fine cinematography in some of the action sequences. The discrete romantic story between the lead hero and the heroine played by Jennifer Connelly, the only credible interpersonal relationship in the film.
What I liked least: The militaristic atmosphere. The scene with muscular soldiers. The schematism of the characters. Predictability of the story. Pretentious dialogues – some serious, some that intent to be funny.
What left me indifferent: the aerial combat scenes and the fact that the actors filmed in real planes and were intensely physically stressed. Pseudo-technical details of the aircraft or of the planning and execution of the military operation. Schematic sub-stories related to values such as friendship or intergenerational relationships. The bla-bla about discipline, indiscipline and initiative.
At the end of the day, ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ is nothing more than a package for aerial combat scenes and another movie in which Tom Cruise defies the laws of ageing. There are many, many fans of these topics who have turned their enthusiasm into movie tickets and good grades for film. My opinion is that ‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ is just another mediocre action movie. Luckily for the producers, my opinion is in the minority.