Top Gun: Maverick

Top-Gun-Maverick

Welp, the summer movie season has officially taken flight (wink).

The day after I saw “Top Gun: Maverick,” a friend sent a text asking for my review. Thoughts were still swirling in my brain, and I hadn’t yet written down (or typed up) anything. So, I simply replied, “In three words or less: Totally worth seeing.”

And that seems to be the consensus among those who’ve already bought a ticket for this follow-up to the high-flying 1986 flick, with its macho bad-assery, extreme cheese factor, and scenes so steamy that every character was literally drenched in sweat. All. The. Time.

Good to see they got the A/C working for the new installment, which was postponed and delayed and held up again – for more than two years – before finally hitting theaters this past Memorial Day weekend.

But that wait? Worth every minute.

Tom Cruise is back, more than three decades after he bolted across the sky and into everyone’s heart as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, the Navy aviator with little regard for caution – or authority. He still looks the same, though slightly less boyish and cocky. But only slightly.

And as this “Top Gun” sequel kicks off – in almost identical fashion as its forerunner, with jets taking off from an at-sea airbase, with thumbs up signals flashing across the flight deck and Kenny Loggins crooning about that familiar “Danger Zone” in the background – Maverick is once again pushing buttons. And his limits.

Surprised? Me either.

After stern looks and tongue lashings from his higher ups, Maverick gets word from Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson (Jon Hamm, meow): “You’ve been called back to Top Gun.”

But they don’t want him to fly. Oh, no.

“Everyone here is the best there is,” Lt. Trace/“Phoenix” (Monica Barbaro) states, matter-of-factly. “Who the hell are they gonna get to teach us?”

One guess.

In this high-stakes mission with its narrow training timeline and a success rate that requires “two miracles,” who else can teach this crew?

How about the guy who “can’t get a promotion, won’t retire, and despite his best efforts, refuses to die.”

For anyone who hasn’t seen the original (which may have only been me, until a year ago. I KNOW!), it’s not entirely necessary to see “Top Gun” to follow the action and story here. Through quick explainers and wistful flashbacks, “Maverick” fills in the blanks where necessary.

But, having seen the first flick will give a better understanding of the motivation, the journey, and the legacy of some of these characters. And those quiet moments of tight close-ups and determined stares? They’ll ooze the sentimentality needed to carry the weight of their significance.

“Maverick” dazzles while taking its audience inside the cockpit for every ride, with shaky camera effects – for real G-force effect; high-speed twists, turns, and spins that put us right behind the yoke; and those intense quick cuts, warning signals, and flashing instrument panels that’ll send your anxiety through the canopy.

This is a fun flick, plain and simple. Packed with action and nostalgia, “Maverick” hits every mark without wasting a moment or a look – or our time. The sarcasm and humor sprinkled throughout keeps the mood playful while being restrained enough for the audience to take the movie seriously.

The connection to the first film remains solid and profound, even 30-plus years later.

When the essence of something so beloved is nurtured and developed and held to an even higher standard than its predecessor, the audience wins. Based on the blatant corniness of some of the scenes and lines in “Top Gun,” this sequel really has no business being good.

But it’s not. “Top Gun: Maverick” is an exceptional, real-deal summer blockbuster.

And it’s, in three words or less, totally worth seeing.

You have just enjoyed the insights of Movie Addict Mel, a cinema dork and conversational writer. Follow her on Twitter @movieaddictmel, and “like” her Facebook page www.facebook.com/movieaddictmel.