Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Premiere’s at Cannes Film Festival – Movie Review
Reported by: Taylor Lynn
Arguably the last true movie star, Tom Cruise has retreated into blockbuster fare in recent times, shying away from awards fare entirely. However, fate as it seems, had another plan entirely. Tom Gun: Maverick, despite being a summer blockbuster, is so good that it has a good chance at sweeping the awards season entirely. A long awaited sequel to the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, this sophomore outing sees Cruise and Kilmer return from the first film for a sequel that is bigger, bolder and more thrilling.
Joseph Koninski, who previously directed Cruise in 2013’s Oblivion, takes the helm of this highly anticipated sequel. With John Hamm, Ed Harris, Miles Teller and Jennifer Conelly rounding out the cast; the sequel delivers on emotions, thrill and the fast, unforgiving world of air to air combat. The sequel picks up 30 years after the first one, with Cruise’s Maverick now a test pilot for experimental aircraft. However, as a nuclear threat metastasizes far away, Maverick will be forced back into the Top Gun program, to prepare the top pilots for a suicide mission deep behind enemy lines. With the top brass breathing down his neck and the pilots unprepared, Maverick is forced to commandeer the mission himself, leading to a frightening and explosive air to air battle with a foreign enemy thousands of miles from American shores.
Top Gun: Maverick Ideal for Aviation Enthusiasts| Cannes 2022
Aviation enthusiasts will find a few plot holes here and there and the makers have indeed taken creative liberties with air battles. However, these are all moot points in the grand scheme of things. The film delivers on high stakes, unresolved emotional narratives from the first film as well as insane air to air dogfight sequences that are extremely hard to get right accurately. The top fighter jets of both American and Russian origin are showcased beautifully in the film in addition to the never ending debate of the future of air warfare in regards to manned vs unmanned aircraft.
The acting is fine across the board and the script does a great job of infusing emotion into what would have otherwise been an action film heavy on nostalgia and callbacks. Even at 58, Cruise can hold his own against everyone. Miles Teller is believable as the vengeful son of Maverick’s best friend Goose from the first film and Teller and Cruise’s tumultuous relationship that transforms from indifference to comradery makes up the emotional bedrock of the entire narrative.
In an era of countless reboots and superhero films, Top Gun: Maverick is a rare beast. It not only improves upon the original in every way possible but introduces what was missing in the first part; emotional stakes and family drama. Running at a brisk 2 hours, the film has all the ingredients of a potent summer blockbuster. It appears Tom Cruise can do no wrong and he, along with Koninski and McQuarrie, has delivered a solid sequel to a beloved 36 year old film that not only changed cinema but also proved itself to be a new benchmark in military propaganda and recruitment.
About Cannes Film Festival:
Festival de Cannes (known in English as the Cannes Film Festival), is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around the world. Founded in 1946, the invitation-only festival is held annually (usually in May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès. The festival was formally accredited by the FIAPF in 1951. It is one of the "Big Three" major European film festivals, alongside the Venice Film Festival in Italy and the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, as well as one of the "Big Five" major international film festivals, which consists of the three major European film festivals, the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, and the Sundance Film Festival in the United States. For more information on Cannes Film Festival, https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/