Top Gun - Maverick

Top Gun Maverick is a refreshing take on authenticity in the vast sea of rehashed sequences that plague the box office in recent times. It builds upon the previous movie's domain, relationships and characters while effectively working to disburse a sense of novelty with an engaging narrative and crisp action sequences.

The cast is overshadowed by the ubiquitous presence of Tom Cruise (Maverick). He's a force of being that captures the center of attention, refusing to relinquish it. The wide cast of characters acts in supporting roles to our protagonist and his protégé Rooster. The supporting cast delivers a crisp, concise, and almost methodical performance that can be overlooked for the emotions and acting prowess of our main characters. The character of Glen Powell deserves a special mention for being the younger replacement of ICEMAN and the character is also named so unoriginally as HANGMAN.

The plot draws symmetry from the 1986 classic, so much so that the starting scenes are an exact shot-to-shot replica of the movie, but should this be considered a tribute to the classic or a ploy to garner nostalgia! The plot incorporates the thrill of a lethal mission accompanied by the perils and dangers of aerial dogfight encapsulated as an innocent training camp. The details are specific enough to keep the viewer's interest peeped while delivering real-world analogies to make it comprehendible. Maverick again shines as the hero of the combat exercise and steals the show with his charisma, flamboyance, and skills.

The movie fairs far ahead of its contemporary counterparts in terms of action sequences and fight choreography. The action feels and looks authentic because the actions aren't a cheap VFX copy but executed in the real world. The film sets are real and so are the fighter jets, and so are the action scenes; This creates a physical environment for the actors to react and provide a genuine performance where every expression, grunt and movement is perfectly in sync with the surrounding. Real aerial dogfights, real stakes resulting in a genuine adrenaline rush for a truth-seeking audience.

The cinematography pays homage to the old movies and borrows a few key scenes and influential dialogues from the original to the point where it can feel a bit on the nose at times but that can be forgiven, for the actors sell the characters with conviction and rigor. A wide array of aerial shots portraying each fighter jet at its maximum potential, leaving the theatres filled with awe, are truly a pleasure to watch and marvel at. The camera attaches a FP view to the audience, creating a sense of involvement, and for a movie that is a visual spectacle filled with risky maneuvers and fast flights it just adds to the amusement.

Realizing an old classic in a modern setting that adds depth and dimensions to the characters and the story is a challenging task, albeit making TG: Maverick feels like it can stand on its own. The brilliance and grace of Joseph Kosinski is remarkable to be able to achieve the feat. Lets hope this ushers in a new standard of sequels that rely on script, characters, acting and actions instead of using cameos, quips/references and nostalgia to imitate the admiration for the original.