Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is back corkscrewing across the silver screen at G-force 5 in the sequel Top Gun: Maverick to the 1986 “Top Gun”.
Same characters (a little older) hand same storyline (just as exciting), but jam-packed with action and special effects.
Captain Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is assigned to train a squad of highly qualified pilots for dangerous mission.
Ideally, this sequel can stand alone. However, if you like character development and plain gossip, look at the first film for some background stories. Then you can look closely at the sequel and see how the actors have stemmed back the ravages of time with the help of a felt-tip marker and a scalpel.
‘Maverick’ (Tom Cruise) still breaks the rules, but he defends himself saying: “I am a fighter pilot. I am into naval aviation. This is not what I do. This is who I am.” (So was Neil Armstrong, but he kept by the rules, otherwise he would have been the first person to crash into the Moon.)
He even breaks protocol and defies orders for a special operation that is about to be cancelled.
With all the old, familiar faces, this lastest offering in Mach 3 entertainment cannot fail to please Top Gun loyalists. Miles Teller plays Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, Goose’s son (Anthony Edwards), who seems the mirror image of his late father, apart from the moustache and propensity for tinkling the ivories. Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly) smoothly plays Maverick’s old girlfriend, whose flame is still a-burning, replacing Charlie (Kelly McGillis) in the 1986 film.
Director Joseph Kosinski has abandoned ‘80s-style action, opting for impressive cinematography with cockpit-interior cameras to give us a realistic view of the captain’s teaching methods of dubious safety as he and his trainees swoop and climb at acute angles through clear skies.
On the level of drama, the movie has many sweet, strong, and truly touching moments, especially between Maverick and Rooster. Maverick still feels guilty for the death of his friend Goose (although he was cleared) and fears that if he chooses his son for the mission, junior’s medals will be sent to his mother. The scenes between Maverick and Bradshaw are less suffused with mutual loathing and more of the sense of sacrifice. So, there you have it: aeronautic thrills and spills and self-recrimination thrown in, and 36 years on, without the now matronly-looking Meg Ryan and Kelly McGillis. Something indeed for all the family. And what’s wrong with a good old-fashioned cliche or two on a Saturday?
