I’m not afraid to admit that I harp on superhero movies, overemphasizing my opinion that they fail to inspire (me) in the way that blockbusters of the past managed to. I’ll even concede that many of them have their heart in the right place, well, if you can ignore the obvious and rapacious monetary motivation behind their production. Still, my opinion is unchanged that there’s a better way to make exhilarating and feel-good motion pictures. To those who think I’m a curmudgeon, I’d say you’re probably right, but I’d also say, “watch Top Gun: Maverick and get back to me.” Because if there’s any movie that might remind us of how Hollywood used to and still can inspire, it’s Top Gun: Maverick.

When an unnamed nation – that’s totally not Iran – constructs an unsanctioned uranium enrichment facility that threatens America’s allies, Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is brought in to train a crack team of TOPGUN pilots on how to destroy it. It just so happens that among said pilots is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of Maverick’s deceased RIO and best friend, Goose. While the two men work through their unresolved history, Maverick must also contend with an old flame rekindled, Penny (Jennifer Connolly), and a scornful commanding officer, Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm). All in all, this is a straightforward plot, but making the most of it is almost as challenging as the very mission Maverick and his trainees are undertaking.

A movie like Top Gun: Maverick succeeds or fails on the merits of two aspects: its star and its action sequences. While the action may be what people look forward to most when heading to theaters, the leading man is the glue that holds the whole project together, and my goodness Cruise is sticky here. An uninventive and gross metaphor? Definitely. But it’s also 100% accurate. Tom Cruise may have delivered a career-best performance in this film, imbuing his aging Maverick with all of the courage and wisdom that decades of action filmmaking has given him. Cruise’s obvious reverence for his character, and for actual Navy fighter pilots, adds more to this movie than I could possibly describe. Every scene he’s in, which is basically all of them, is notably elevated by his screen presence. If Tom Cruise has ever deserved an Academy Award for Best Actor, it’s probably for Top Gun: Maverick.

As good as Cruise is, the action in this movie is better. In fact, I’d be willing to say that the air combat on screen in Top Gun: Maverick is the best ever, even topping sci-fi variants like the Trench Run from Star Wars, a main set-piece that this film mimics. This is quite a feat, considering that the first two acts consist mainly of test programs and training exercises, rather than actual bombing raids and dogfights. Even so, the training exercises are highly engrossing, and watching Maverick push his cocky, young pilots to the brink is very amusing. These sequences also allow the younger members of the cast, who are uniformly terrific, to demonstrate their acting chops. Glen Powell is especially impressive as Jake “Hangman” Seresin, the cocksure rival to Rooster. His character reminded me a lot of Maverick from the original film, but now, their dominant traits, such as egotism and recklessness, are viewed as antagonistic. This was a clever and subtle perspective adjustment I didn’t quite expect.*

The action gets even better when things transition from training to actual implementation. It’s really something to watch Maverick and his team speed and swerve through a narrow canyon, only to fly straight up, crest over a mountain, drop some bombs, and then escape. Oh, and the whole time, enemy fighter jets and missile launchers lurk around the corner. The final 45 minutes of Top Gun: Maverick are simply breathtaking, in the most white-knuckle way any filmgoer or action buff could ever want. This is mainly achieved through an abundance of practical filmmaking, as it’s apparent that the majority of this was shot with real aircraft and pilots. It’s undeniable that seeing the actors in actual jets, and seeing said jets doing actual maneuvers, is more affecting than CGI could ever be.**

All of this is not to say that Top Gun: Maverick is devoid of story, because the opposite is true. For starters, you have the complicated relationship between the Maverick and Rooster. There was an obvious tack the screenwriters could’ve taken for this subplot, but luckily, this is not a predictable movie. This subplot also creates an opportunity for Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer) to make an appearance, in what amounts to one of the best scenes in the entire flick. It’s very tragic what’s happened to Kilmer in real life, and how they incorporated that into Iceman’s story is not only tasteful, but it also allowed Kilmer to show what he can still do as an actor. Speaking of tasteful, the romance between Maverick and Penny is also really well done. To put it simply, romance in this sort of movie has come a long way since 1986.

When its credits began rolling, I had a wide, shit-eating grin on my face. How could I not? Top Gun: Maverick is everything that you’ve likely already heard it to be. It’s a riveting and respectful sequel of the highest order, and director Joseph Kosinski and his crew deserve all the credit in the world for making it.*** Sure, I have a few nitpicks about it, but they’re so small, I’d feel like a pedant if I said anything more about them than I already have. At the end of the day, Top Gun: Maverick did something I nearly forgot Hollywood movies could do: it entertained and inspired. Hell, if I wasn’t a somewhat – okay, heavily – overweight 30+ year-old, then even I’d consider signing up for the Navy and doing my bit. In other words, it made me want to be a better person, and that’s coming from a guy who’s almost always content to be an ordinary Joe. That’s how inspirational this movie is, on top of being a rollicking good time.****

If I had to score it, I’d give Top Gun: Maverick a 10/10.

Notes:

* [Mild Spoiler] It’s obvious from Maverick’s reaction to Hangman’s behavior that he realizes his own rashness and swagger, especially when younger, may have been more problematic than he previously understood. There’s clearly a moment of introspection, and I would love a deeper dive into this in future installments, if they’re made. If anything, it’d be an excuse to have Cruise and Powell interact more on-screen, which I desperately want.

** Now that we know how much this movie made at the box office, I hope film producers recognize and take note that the real thing is still what generates the most buzz. Sure, Avatar: The Way of Water out-earned it, but that movie had a built-in audience. Top Gun: Maverick made a billion-plus on word-of-mouth, which is WAY more impressive.

*** I want to give a special shout-out to cinematographer Claudio Miranda, who may have accomplished the best photography in the history of action cinema with this movie. Like Cruise, he deserves an Academy Award nomination for his efforts here.

**** Lastly, I really appreciated the dedication to director Tony Scott early in the film’s end credits. He was a storied filmmaker who made not one, but two iconic movies about the US Navy (Top Gun and Crimson Tide). The guy was a legend, no doubt.