TOP GUN: MAVERICK

Full disclosure, I was against the idea of this movie when it was announced. Sequels to movies 30+ years later have bad track records of being quality and nothing more than a cash grab by the studio. I'm happy to announce that is not the case with TOP GUN: MAVERICK. Taking place 36 years after the original, we find Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell stuck in his career. Too stubborn to retire as this is all he's ever known, yet unpromoted over the decades due to his antics and apathy towards authority. The film opens with Maverick testing a new plane before the funding for his project is pulled. After a successful test, he's called back to Top Gun to train a new generation of fighter pilots, who are undertaking a dangerous mission on foreign land, one with a low probability of success. One of the students is Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, son of Maverick's best friend Goose, who doesn't show Maverick the same love and respect his parents did. Maverick has only 3 weeks to train these pilots and in the process, attempts to mend bridges with Rooster. The film does a fantastic job at mixing nostalgia for the older audience members, while still keeping it fresh for the newer ones. Breath-taking aerial footage that puts the audience right into the cockpit and action. Cruise doesn't skip a beat as Maverick, as he's clearly having fun again stepping back into his shoes and cutting up whenever possible. Jennifer Connelly plays a character who's mentioned in the original but never shown as a nice tie-in. Her and Cruise's chemistry steam up the screen and is a healthier one than Maverick's and Charlie's in the original. Looking back, that relationship seemed at times a little unhealthy by today's standards, although it wasn't viewed that way then. Finally, I was very happy to see Val Kilmer brought in and very satisfied with the respect they showed him and accommodated his current limitations. Long live The Iceman! If you loved the original, you're going to love this one as well! 8/10