TopGun:Maverick
“TopGun : Maverick”
To say that I have eagerly been anticipating this movies release going back at least a decade since it was rumored to have gotten its green light is an understatement. The original TopGun released in 1986 and was a staple in my childhood home. My dad flew airplanes on the side for his parents business and he loved flying so the fact he loved that movie is no surprise. It was one of the first movies I remember us owning on VHS. To say that this sequel had a lot to live up to is also an understatement. Let me tell you folks I am relieved to say Tom and company pulled it off with flying colors.
There are certain things that have to happen to pull this off successfully. Your star still has to be bankable. Check. The story has to at least tie into the first movies story. Check. The action has to be top notch. CHECK!CHECK!CHECK! Give you a good mix of familiar faces and fresh new ones that we can invest in and fit in the world. Check. When we catch up with Maverick he is now a test pilot pushing things to the limit as we would all expect him to be doing. A situation arises that leads to him being called back to teach at TopGun. To say that I was in awe while watching the flying sequences is an understatement. The ability of the men and women of our military who flies those fighter jets to patrol our skies is insane. I can’t imagine the amount of planing that went into getting some of the flying shots in this movie done. The semi new character is Rooster the son of Goose and Penny a bar owner who’s character was mentioned briefly in the beginning of the original movie but never seen.
Listen I could get into the specifics about how the love story was unnecessary or the fact that many scenes feel like they could be copy and pasted into the first movie. Bottom line WHO CARES!!! Not me. This movie gave me everything I wanted it to and more. It gave me a decent mission for a character that I love. It gave me a decent love story that has deep ties to his character before we meet him the first time. Most of all it gave me a ridiculous mission with bad ass fighter jet sequences being flown by the best fighter pilots in the world. I don't know what else you want out of a summer blockbuster. Not to mention that its well paced, beautifully shot and like the first movie seems to have a pretty decent soundtrack just like the original. Mr. Cruise job well done you stuck the landing and I feel like you did probably your most iconic character justice. Go see it folks its super fun and exactly what a summer movie is supposed to be. 4.5 out of 5 Yellow Suckers
*This movie review was originally published in The Current River Observer as the River Reels article written by Jeffrey Riggs
