Fighter jet pilot Captain Pete "Maverick" is summoned to be the instructor of a dozen Top Gun pilots because the US is faced with an extreme challenge: an unnamed rogue state is building an underground uranium enrichment facility situated under a crater-like valley, surrounded by mountains with anti-aircraft guns on top of them. Maverick tries to renew his relationship with bartender girl Penny, but his main problem lies in trying to sabotage the career of pilot "Rooster" Bradshaw, since Maverick feels guilt for the death of Bradshaw's father "Goose", and thus tries to dissuade "Rooster" from this suicide mission. Leading the successful squadron attack on the uranium facility, Maverick's fighter jet is shot down, but Rooster returns and they board the enemy plane and fly back to the US Army aircraft carrier.
Made a whopping 36 years after its original, sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" is indeed a brilliant tactical victory—looking at it from the technical perspective—but its strategic value is debatable—since the movie does not offer that much looking at it from the creative or artistic perspective. Tom Cruise is surprisingly good while repeating his role as Pete "Maverick", and together with the 80s nostalgia and good 'old school' filmmaking gives the movie a dose of refreshing feel, whereas the detailed aircraft stunts, manoeuvres and battle sequences—which mostly try to avoid CGI and instead focus on real aircraft—are its main virtues. The storyline is stymied by a lack of truly versatile characters, as well as some naive solutions (just like in the 1st film, the identity of the enemy is never mentioned, and thus it is unknown whom the protagonists are fighting against). The only more mature moment is when Admiral Cain warns Maverick ("The future is coming, and you're not in it!"), which hints at a more somber tone about transience, yet in everything else, the movie is afraid to go to more unpleasant territory, and instead just gives a typically mainstream, cozy and "safe" entertainment, as expected. While this lack of a true risk is indeed too predictable and lame, as opposed to its hero Maverick who is not afraid to risk everything, "Top Gun: Maverick" is still a well made sequel, and has just enough charm to keep the viewers' interest.
Grdae:++
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