Cruise, who returns not only as aviator Pete Mitchell called Maverick, but also as one of the producers this time, was undoubtedly aware of this, as were other producers and director Joseph Kosinski, who replaced the late number one ten-year-old Tony Scott ten years ago. They didn’t postpone the film’s deployment until the end of the covid measures, but waited until people returned to the cinemas. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
–
It was a great move for both sides. The Cannes Film Festival had a big star on the red carpet again after a one-year break and last year’s lack of participation, and the Top Gun: Maverick won the advertisement as thunder. So if the first Top Gun made $ 356 million, it wouldn’t have to be much worse now, although sales are generally still lower than before the covid.
–
Cruise and all the other creators visibly cared a lot about Top Gun: Maverick. The actor still looks more than forty than sixty, which he will celebrate on July 3, and is in excellent physical shape. Right at the beginning of the film, he shows her as a test pilot in a performance at the limit of human possibilities, which immediately reminds of a former passionate young man who loved flying above all else and differed from others precisely in that he was never afraid to go as far as the superiors.
–
That is why he is transferred to the Top Gun training center to prepare newcomers (including girls today, of course) for a special mission that will not be just a training center. It is not an easy task. A bunch of perfectly crafted bodies cheerfully play with a pinched ball on the beach and don’t make much of Maverick.
–
Next in the story is his ex-love, a bartender from the pilot club, whose daughter doesn’t like to see the two get closer again. And to top it all off, there is Rooster, the son of Maverick’s first-class friend, who died in a catapult from a plane piloted by Maverick. And the boy still thinks he’s bad.
–
The second part therefore brings many references to number one, but it is not necessary to play it before visiting the cinema. This time the story is perhaps more elaborate and clearer. It wasn’t the first of the Cold War, so it doesn’t matter who the enemy is. It is not even clearly marked, we only learn that in a certain country there is a uranium enrichment facility hidden in the mountains, which could endanger NATO. Failure to identify a specific enemy is important mainly because it is desirable to send the film to global markets and not offend anyone in the slightest.
–
The plot therefore focuses more on fairy-tale relationships, yet the main thing that will save the audience are the perfect shots of aviation events. Whether it’s the opening, when Pete drives the machine to the highest possible speed, spectacular flights through a narrow gorge, or the final sharp action.
–
It can be seen that they were spared, the preparation was thorough and the Czech jet training aircraft Aero L-39 Albatros, which the director used to prepare the actors, also took part in it. During the filming, the American fighters were piloted by experienced pilots, but the shots of the actors in the cockpits seem absolutely believable.
–
So again, just like for the first time, it’s a big air force celebration, a big show and a big filled opportunity for Tom Cruise to return to the role that few would expect from a sixties. And after all, good preparation for returning to the next Mission Impossible in two years.
–
| Top Gun: Maverick |
| USA 2022, 131 min. Director: Joseph Kosinski Cast: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Val Kilmer and more |
—
