This Best Picture nominee was on my “eh, if I have time for it” list. Since I got an early start on my Oscar movies, I was able to fit this one in during a lull, while I was waiting for other nominated films to become available on streaming and/or come down in rental price.
More than 35 years after the events of the first film (that’s right, count ‘em,) Maverick still lives for flying planes and breaking rules. His old buddy Iceman, who’s risen in the ranks while Maverick’s attitude has left his naval career stalled, throws some weight around to get Maverick a position training elite young pilots in preparation for a special mission. Among them is Rooster, the son of Maverick’s old wingman Goose.
First, a major caveat: I’ve never seen the original Top Gun. Big chunks of classic ‘80s cinema have never made their way into my personal film canon, and while I’m sure Top Gun is a perfectly entertaining film, it’s not one I’m in any hurry to add to my watch list. As such, there are so many parts of Maverick that I don’t have any connection to. Things happen onscreen, and my brain goes, “Well, from the framing, I’m assuming this was A Thing in the first film. Okay.” From what I can gather, this movie is dripping in nostalgia, but I’m not in on the references.
In other words, I’m aware that I’m not the target audience for this film and take that into consideration. There are moments that feel big, and I’m sure they’d resonate hard with fans of the original. The flight scenes are exciting and impressive—no doubt they feel even more immersive on the big screen, but even watching on my computer, I had a good time watching the fancy flying. It’s clear that the film earned its technical nominations (for sound, editing, and visual effects.)
I’m less convinced about its Best Adapted Screenplay nomination. Again, I’ll allow it some wiggle room, since it obviously wasn’t written for a viewer like me. But the story is pretty basic, with broad characterizations for the supporting folks, unsurprising plot beats, and some hokey scenes of Maverick defying authority and then watching it pay off. I’m thinking it might be like “The Power of the Doctor,” where I recognized the plot holes and sloppy writing but was so awash in fangirl nostalgia that I didn’t care.
Tom Cruise is of course the sun that the film orbits around. As Maverick, he definitely does his thing, serving up cool action scenes and a cocksure attitude. One of his chief scene partners is Miles Teller as Rooster, a determined but cautious young pilot who’s desperate to prove he has what it takes. He has old baggage with Maverick, which immediately causes friction between the two. Jennifer Connolly plays an old flame who I was surprised to learn wasn’t in the original movie. Val Kilmer reprises his role, Jon Hamm makes an appearance, and I couldn’t figure out where I recognized the young hotshot pilot Hangman from—his name is Glen Powell, and it turns out he played John Glenn in Hidden Figures. The film also completely wastes Jay Ellis (Lawrence from Insecure) and Manny Jacinto (Jason from The Good Place!), who are part of the group of pilots training for the mission. It’s almost instantly clear which of the pilots are actual characters and which are glorified seat fillers, and it’s wild to me that these guys would’ve been cast in these roles if the film wasn’t going to give them anything to do. It’s particularly egregious with Jacinto—I’m trying to remember, and I don’t think he had a single line beyond stuff like, “Whoa!” or “Yeah!” Utter waste.
Warnings
Violence, language, drinking, and light sexual content.
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