Top Gun Maverick 2022 – one of the more talked about movies in several friend groups I inhabit. AKA It’s COOL, Totally FINE, didn’t need THOSE EMOTIONS and also WHOO DOGFIGHTS movie.
I watched this one directly after watching the first one (for the first time) which was An Experience. I am un-endingly glad I did not see this one in theaters. It was intense enough on my living room TV, watching it in the theater would have been bad for my nerves and senses.
I came to the conclusion that much like with Star Trek (2009) and Zachary Quinto – Top Gun Maverick needed to wait until Miles Teller was old enough to star in it. The casting there placed against the casting of Anthony Edwards in the first one was absolutely stellar – especially visually. Like that scene with the piano? The nostalgia tipped spear of feels that gave me was really visceral. That was only the beginning too.
Val Kilmer broke my heart and I was in a glass case of emotions for all of that. OW. This is supposed to be an action movie, it’s not supposed to rip out my still beating heart and show it to me as well.
I will admit a lot of the impetus for me to see this movie originally (and also providing the push needed to finally sit down and watch the first one) came from having read a spectacular crossover fanfic that got me super curious about the source material.
I love the Mav and Hondo relationship – it’s the best. Overall, this was a good successor to the first one. Just enough callbacks to the first one and it was its own movie with its own plot. It wasn’t a copy-paste New Generation remake of the first one.
10/10 would rewatch (but not on a huge screen. I’m old and my heart can’t take the pressure).