Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick
Set 30 years after its predecessor, it follows Maverick's return to the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (also known as U.S. Navy-Fighter Weapons School - "TOPGUN"), where he must confront his past as he trains a group of younger pilots, among them the son of Maverick's deceased best friend Lieutenant Nick "Goose" Bradshaw, USN.
James Saenz reviewedMay 28, 2025
“it’s time to let go.”
a little over a year ago i watched top gun and thought it was a decent movie. it didn’t change my life or anything, but there were things i really enjoyed about it; the score was beautiful and the homoerotic volleyball match was exquisite, but they weren’t enough to make me fall in love with it. however, just over a month ago, i started watching the mission: impossible series for the first time. i grew to admire tom cruise and his dedication to and respect for filmmaking and the craftsmanship that goes into it on every level. after watching the final reckoning, i was craving more cruise— so here we are, and good fucking lord what a ride it is.
the story is conventional, yet heartfelt. all of the beats feel familiar, but they never feel stale because of their sincerity and the quality with which they’re delivered. it revisits characters and moments from the original without feeling like it relies on fan service, and its sendoff to both val kilmer and the character of iceman genuinely brought me to tears, especially with his passing this year fresh on my mind.
i also love the subtextual discussion it’s having around the concept of the future and outdated ideologies, and how that relates to tom cruise’s ethos versus that of contemporary hollywood and an increasingly blasé outlook on film - and art as a whole - from the general public. why care for skill sets that take lifetimes to learn when we can automate something with vaguely the same results, but without any of the passion or human expression? why care at all, even if it’s at the expense of innumerable jobs and lives? these are the pressing conflicts on tom cruise’s mind, so of course they would bleed into his art. this is a film at war with obsoletion, one in which the human spirit claws its way to the victory line. i’m joining the war of automation and apathy against tom cruise, on the side of tom cruise.
and by god, the aerial sequences are absolutely breathtaking. there are maneuvers they pull off in this film that genuinely had my jaw agape with disbelief and awe. it’s a triumph of filmmaking and skill, and i’m so upset i didn’t make the effort to watch this in imax when it released.
shoutout to jennifer connelly and monica barbaro for making me forget how to speak or think every time they were on screen.