Top Gun: Maverick review without spoilers: a worthy return to the danger zone

When I came out of the review review Top Gun: Maverickcoming down from its adrenaline-filled finale, a small part of my brain began to look for dents in the armor of the film. Maybe it’s a critic in me, but it didn’t take me long to touch on things from the original film – the plot, the stylistic choice, the specific character – that didn’t come back this time.

I chewed on these thoughts for a second, but before I could deal with their detailed cataloging, I was overwhelmed by the feeling. It landed like a mighty G-force explosion, as if I were a fighter pilot trying to rise, seemingly impossible: very pleased with this sequel and admiration that this film made an impossible feat – to follow the old, doing something new.

The series ’propensity to direct military theater in the Hollywood style is perhaps more tolerant when it is tempered by clever script and cutting-edge stunts. The development of the character comes at an important moment for both Pete “Mayverick” Mitchell and for the people in his high-speed orbit, and the focused cast of the film mostly achieves the goal.

Perhaps most importantly, the aging but excited Tom Cruise never goes beyond his pay level. The Top Gun The star ran cinemas about 35 years ago for reasons other than the man he is today, but this film never shows his character Maverick betraying his favorite traits or feeling old, pretending to be 20 years old. .

Several moving parts of the series have been thrown out after so many years, and lifelong fans of the film are sure to notice them. But Top GunThe basic principles – an incredible fighter fight, a nice cheese and Cruz’s wide smile – are back in perhaps better shape than the original.

“Don’t think, do it”

Top Gun: Maverick has the added benefit of looking incredible on the big screen, and it’s arguably the best IMAX showcase in five years. Cruise and company. clearly wanted to take cinematic aerial combat to the next level, and you can’t do it: if you have to sew three hospital class masks or rent a private room to feel comfortable in a public cinema in 2022, you should think about doing it for this film.

Each major flight scene includes cameras for each cockpit that emphasize the extra altitude of the IMAX 16:10 aspect ratio, and at these moments the flights are set to allow this camera angle to showcase Top Gun– materials of caliber. You can see another plane in sight, or steam trails, or dumped rockets dancing and clubs of smoke, or a shadow from a jet on the Earth’s surface, because the F / A-18 Hornet actually fly so damn low in real life. At these moments, the actors, without hesitation, explode with emotion, leaning back or clapping their hands on the glass of the cabin, which extends to the entire IMAX screen.

Increase / У Top Gun: Maverickall the buzzing is very important – and it is always displayed with incredible detail.

Skydance Productions

Top Gun: Maverick spends a lot of time in this perspective, so it’s nice to see how stunt teams and filmmakers repeatedly put in a beach volleyball buzz for this collaboration. However, the crew is also filling the lost time since the first film was made, allowing outside cameras, including experienced drones, to linger over deadly flights or use wide-angle shots to show how stupidly stunt stunt flyers are closed. . The 1986 style of hard camera cuts to sew together a whipped scarecrow is made. This time we can observe the complete air battles that lead to each climax.

Indeed, it’s amazing how much this film prefers real stunts over green screen stunts. On this front, everyone will have a different favorite, but mine is a dramatic flight at the beginning of the film, which I will not spoil for you, except that it was reportedly filmed with actors who took on the main burden of his life. buzzing. You will know this (and feel it) when you see it.

My only shrug about the content of the air battle comes from several briefings filled with CGI. In each of them, the commanders point to the holograms and break down every step of the mission or exercise – as if Cruz insisted that this film be like The mission is impossible the series one way or another. While these moments are tolerable, I felt they were an over-explanation that took time to lift the film’s cameras into the menacing sky.