It has been 36 years since the original came out, and Top Gun: Maverick is one of the longest delayed releases due to the pandemic. The movie is finally hitting theaters this month, and with it – fans are getting their need for speed, action, and dog fights on the big screen finally fulfilled.
If you need a refresher, the original Top Gun is available on Netflix or online rental, but watching the movie won’t make or break your experience with Top Gun: Maverick. The movie does bring back several of the original characters, actors, and even extras to bring this story to life. But all of the characters are re-introduced and flashbacks or stills from the original movie bring them into the story easily for fans.
This isn’t the only thing that Top Gun: Maverick has in common with the original film – in fact most of the movie is almost the exact same storyline as the original. This time Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who is still only a Captain 30 years later, gets sent back to instruct the best of the best on a special mission for Top Gun. Included in the ranks is Goose’s son, now all grown up and who uses the call sign Rooster (we might need to have a discussion about that name… but that’s another issue altogether). Their mission is risky, and Mav is worried about putting Rooster at risk, while Rooster has several issues with Maverick stemming from the death of his father and beyond.
Don’t worry fans, that volleyball scene that you loved in the original has been replaced and updated with a shirtless beach football game instead. While we may question if Cruise could actually keep up with these kids, he is, no doubt in shape, and fans will enjoy this sequence – even if it’s just recreating the wheel some.
Even if you’re not a huge fan of the original movie, or Tom Cruise, Top Gun: Maverick is actually worth the watch. The action scenes are great, and the story, albeit a bit formulaic, is something that is actually engaging. Fans of the original will be watching to see the original tie-ins to the film, which the movie does well, even if a little heavy-handed. One thing that ties the two movies together is the soundtrack which will be any classic rock lover’s playlist for the summer.
Action, romance, dog fights, and high stake missions – Top Gun: Maverick has what fans are looking for and no doubt will feed their need for speed.
Top Gun: Maverick is hitting theaters on May 27th, and a whole new generation of fans will be introduced to this fast-paced franchise and fandom. It was definitely a film made for fans, and even people who may not have loved the original will enjoy the movie on the big screen.
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About Top Gun: Maverick
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”. Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it. Starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Charles Parnell, Bashir Salahuddin, Monica Barbaro, Jay Ellis, Danny Ramirez, Greg Tarzan Davis and Ed Harris. Directed by Joseph Kosinski. (PARAMOUNT PICTURES)