What an excellent sequel - I, in fact, like it more than its predecessor. 'Top Gun: Maverick' is fantastic, simply put. I was expecting it to be good, but it's actually much more enjoyable than I had anticipated. The callbacks to the original are expertly done, the new characters are strong/well cast, it has plenty of meaning, music is fab and the action is outstanding - the aerial stuff is sensational. The story is superb, with each high stake coming across as intended - parts even gave me slight goosebumps, which is a surprise given I'm not someone who has a connection to the 1986 film. It's all super neatly put together, I honestly came close to giving it a higher rating. Tom Cruise is brilliant as he reprises the role of Maverick, while Miles Teller comes in and gives a top performance. Jennifer Connelly is another positive, though her role does kinda feel a tiny bit forced in order to have a love interest; given Kelly McGillis' [unexplained] absence. Monica Barbaro stands out most from the fresh faces, though I actually did enjoy watching them all - which is something I thought the film may struggle with, adding new people, but it's done nicely; sure Jon Hamm and Glen Powell are a little cliché, though overall I approve. A great watch - I'd highly recommend it, though naturally would suggest watching the previous film first if you haven't already.

A lot of things in this movie do not make sense, like "why not use F-35?", "why didn't cruise missiles target enemy air defence and planes in hangars?" to name a few. The original movie had some seriousness built into it, the sequel I think is closer to a comic book movie. Very similar to the original star wars, especially the action sequence at the end. Just a tad more realistic than black widow, you can clearly see the action comedy style of Marvel movies. I think a lot of conservatives reminiscing Reagan years would watch it, that should be enough to make it a hit. I think that is also the reason of the high score. To me the movie quality is more of 5 ~ 7 out of 10. Just don't think too much when watching it, but I don't think that is too big a problem for the target audience.

It seems like I have been watching the trailers for this film for years now - and you know what? Yes - it was worth the wait. The film is all about some truly exhilarating aerial photography that culminates in some super dogfighting and a good old dose of nostalgia. Tom Cruise is very much in his element as the ageing - and frequently not afraid to look it - eponymous "Top Gun" pilot drafted in by a rather sceptical admiral to train up a new squad for a very perilous mission to destroy an underground uranium enrichment facility. The team arrive - full of hormones - and he must whip them into shape, a task made more difficult by the presence of "Rooster" (Miles Teller) who is the son of his old mate "Goose" who came to a sticky end last time out in 1986. He also gets to rekindle his romance with bar owner "Penny" (Jennifer Connelly) whilst all under the protection of his former wingman, now the poorly retired admiral "Kazansky" (Val Kilmer). To be honest, the story isn't really up to much - there are some twists and turns, the script is not without some humour but there is no jeopardy really. We all know what is going to happen in the end. That said, though, everyone is on good form; the pace (aside from the interludes with Connelly which do rather abruptly slow things down a bit) is consistently action packed and the imagery from both inside and outside of these amazing pieces of machinery is not at all repetitive and is compelling to watch. Even the usual gung-ho, ye-ha stuff is kept to a minimum - this is a superior film depicting the US military at it's most competitive, but also at it's most intelligent - and I really quite enjoyed it. Big screen photography - don't wait til it is on the telly.