Tony Scott’s Top Gun is a glorious ode to 1980s cheese and excess, a movie that’s endured as a firm favorite for 36 years for reasons that extend far beyond the genius decision to blast Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” twice within the first 15 minutes. The marketing for sequel Maverick has painted the picture of an altogether more somber sequel, but that doesn’t appear to be a bad thing.
In fact, after screening for the first time at CinemaCon, Tom Cruise’s return to the cockpit is coming in for some serious praise. Not only is being named as 2022’s blockbuster to beat in terms of pure quality, but Top Gun: Maverick is already being touted as one of the year’s finest films, regardless of genre.
That’s got to be reassuring for Paramount and Cruise to hear, especially when the film was first scheduled to hit theaters way back in the summer of 2019. Now, after three years and five further release date shuffles, it looks as though we may have an instant classic on our hands.
Plot details have been deliberately kept under wraps, other than the vague promise of Cruise’s Pete Mitchell finally embracing the ascension up the ladder he’s been avoiding for three decades to take charge of the latest batch of recruits, who then find themselves caught up in a dangerous mission.
Now that the expectations have been significantly heightened by the unanimous praise being leveled at Top Gun: Maverick, the month-long wait until the second installment finally arrives just got that little bit longer.