Top Gun: Maverick is nearly here, and if the reviews are anything to go by, we’re all in for quite a treat once it hits cinemas on May 26th, 2022.
The film — a follow up to the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun — is one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, and celebrated its official world premiere this week at the Cannes Film Festival.
Starring the one and only Tom Cruise, the sequel is set in the current day, and takes place more than 30 years after the events of Top Gun.
The film’s official synopsis is: “After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.”
Joining Cruise for the new adventure, which is directed by Joseph Kosinski, are Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro, Val Kilmer, Lewis Pullman, Glen Powell, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris and Manny Jacinto.
The real question is, of course, is it any good? Thankfully, early reviews of the film are overwhelmingly positive, which means we have something to look forward to when it hits cinemas!
At Cannes, the film received a five minute standing ovation, which is no small feat for a film when you consider how many iconic films have been booed by the audience at Cannes.
Cruise himself thanked the crowd for its rapturous applause, calling the event: “an incredible evening and an incredible time,” per Deadline.
“It’s been 36 years since Top Gun and we had to hold this for two years because of the pandemic,” Cruise said.
He continued: “I’m going to take this all in and I’m never going to forget this evening.
“Thank you for being here. We’re here for you. I make these movies for all of you. I’m of you in ever meeting, in every moment. Especially in Cannes, you love movies.”
Here are some highlights from recent reviews for Top Gun: Maverick:
Writing for Roger Ebert, Tomris Laffly praised Cruise’s dedication to the art of the action blockbuster, writing: “Indeed, Cruise’s consistent commitment to Hollywood showmanship—along with the insane levels of physical craft he unfailingly puts on the table by insisting to do his own stunts—I would argue, deserves the same level of high-brow respect usually reserved for the fully-method sorts such as Daniel Day-Lewis.”
Calling the film “a high-flying sequel that gets it right”, Leah Greenblatt wrote for Entertainment Weekly that “Teller and Powell are breezily appealing” but that “the movie still belongs in almost every scene to Cruise”.
During the screening of TOP GUN: MAVERICK, a man in his fifties yelled out in what sounded like a fit of pure ecstasy during one of the aerial stunts. He sounded like he was being raptured.
I cannot wait for the dads of the world to experience this movie this summer.
— Rob Saucedo (@robsaucedo2500) April 28, 2022
Greenblatt wrote: “At this point in his career, he’s not really playing characters so much as variations on a theme — the theme being, perhaps, The Last Movie Star. And in the air up there, he stands alone.”
Meanwhile, Nicholas Barber wrote that the film “hits its target with explosive force” in his review for BBC Culture.
Barber wrote: “The new film improves on the old one in every respect. The story is cleverer and more gripping, the dialogue is sharper and funnier, the relationships are richer, the aerial stunts are more likely to make you queasy. In many shots, the actors are clearly in the planes, and while they may not be doing the piloting, they are certainly being flung around at stomach-flipping speeds. Viewers will feel as if they are being flung around, too.”
TOP GUN: MAVERICK is miles beyond the first film in every conceivable way. Pays respect while forging its own path with blistering editing, thunderous sound & sweeping music. A big film with even bigger emotions that should be seen on the biggest screen. One of Tom Cruise’s best. pic.twitter.com/7Z8cDSYHV2
— Matt Neglia (@NextBestPicture) May 11, 2022
For The Daily Beast, Nick Schager wrote that “Cruise’s magnetism remains unrivalled”, and called the film a “reverent visual tribute” to the original, noting that Kosinski still manages to put “his own stamp on the rah-rah material”.
Finally, Kyle Pinion wrote for Screenrex: “From the first Blackbird jet sequence to a line in the climax that left a lump in my throat, this is the kind of movie that’s worth going back to the theatres for, and if I see a better blockbuster this year I’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
We’re sold! Oh, and if you want to rewatch the original before you go see Top Gun: Maverick, it’s currently streaming on BINGE.
Top Gun: Maverick will be showing in HOYTS cinemas from May 26th, 2022.
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