There are not many movies that one would happily see again, within a week or so of the first viewing. Top Gun: Maverick, with its 100% Rotten Tomatoes score is just such a movie.
As Katie Walsh Tribune News Service (TNS) says "In the same way that Maverick has to prove that fighter pilots are still necessary in a world of drones and robots, Cruise has set himself the task of proving that movie stars .. are still necessary".
I booked the movie with the sense that this might be Cruise's Top Gun swan song. After all, he is in his sixtieth year – a big ask for an action hero. And yet, after seeing this movie, like most of his viewers I suspect, I would be disappointed if he stops now.
It ticks all the boxes – heart-stopping cinematography, a riveting musical score that deserves its own showing – Hans Zimmer meets Lady Gaga – edge of the seat action, dog-fights, shoot-outs, and person to person rivalry and tension.
It simply has to be seen on the big screen with seat-shaking surround sound. We were engaged for every second. And there are tear-jerking moments, as Val Kilmer shows the seemingly invincible Ice Man as he faces his own mortality.
And a totally convincing love-interest as Cruise connects with someone from his past. This is not just a movie – and one which delivers in spades at all levels. It is a franchise, and whether through flashbacks or using an ageing Cruise in a mentor role, we have not seen the last of the Top Gun series – nor do we want to.
