{"id":623,"date":"2022-06-01T00:45:08","date_gmt":"2022-06-01T00:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=623"},"modified":"2022-06-01T00:45:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-01T00:45:10","slug":"top-gun-maverick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.granitecitynow.com\/?p=623","title":{"rendered":"Top Gun: Maverick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Top-Gun-Maverick\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Welp, the summer movie season has officially taken flight (wink).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good to see they got the A\/C working for the new installment, which was postponed and delayed and held up again \u2013 for more than two years \u2013 before finally hitting theaters this past Memorial Day weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that wait? Worth every minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom Cruise<\/a> is back, more than three decades after he bolted across the sky and into everyone\u2019s heart as Pete \u201cMaverick\u201d Mitchell, the Navy aviator with little regard for caution \u2013 or authority. He still looks the same, though slightly less boyish and cocky. But only slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And as this \u201cTop Gun\u201d sequel kicks off \u2013 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<\/a> crooning about that familiar \u201cDanger Zone<\/a>” in the background \u2013 Maverick is once again pushing buttons. And his limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Surprised? Me either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After stern looks and tongue lashings from his higher ups, Maverick gets word from Admiral Beau \u201cCyclone\u201d Simpson (Jon Hamm<\/a>, meow): \u201cYou\u2019ve been called back to Top Gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But they don\u2019t want him to fly. Oh, no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEveryone here is the best there is,\u201d Lt. Trace\/\u201cPhoenix\u201d (Monica Barbaro<\/a>) states, matter-of-factly. \u201cWho the hell are they gonna get to teach us<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this high-stakes mission with its narrow training timeline and a success rate that requires \u201ctwo miracles,\u201d who else can teach this crew?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about the guy who \u201ccan\u2019t get a promotion, won\u2019t retire, and despite his best efforts, refuses to die.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone who hasn\u2019t seen the original (which may have only been me, until a year ago. I KNOW!), it\u2019s not entirely necessary to see \u201cTop Gun\u201d to follow the action and story here. Through quick explainers and wistful flashbacks, \u201cMaverick\u201d fills in the blanks where necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019ll ooze the sentimentality needed to carry the weight of their significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaverick\u201d dazzles while taking its audience inside the cockpit for every ride, with shaky camera effects \u2013 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\u2019ll send your anxiety through the canopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a fun flick, plain and simple. Packed with action and nostalgia, \u201cMaverick\u201d hits every mark without wasting a moment or a look \u2013 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The connection to the first film remains solid and profound, even 30-plus years later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201cTop Gun,\u201d this sequel really has no business being good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not. \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d is an exceptional, real-deal summer blockbuster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s, in three words or less, totally worth seeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have just enjoyed the insights of Movie Addict Mel, a cinema dork and conversational writer. Follow her on Twitter\u00a0@movieaddictmel<\/a>, and \u201clike\u201d her Facebook page\u00a0www.facebook.com\/movieaddictmel<\/a><\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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