Why I'm Excited for ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Despite the Delays
This Summer, it’s time to finally feel the need for speed once again
Thirty six years after the original became a pop culture phenomenon and nearly three years after its first planned release date, Paramount is finally getting ready for the release of Tom Cruise’s hotly anticipated sequel Top Gun: Maverick by unleashing a brand new trailer that reveals more footage from the action film. Joseph Kosinski, who worked with Cruise on Oblivion, is directing and original producer Jerry Bruckheimer is returning... And I for one am very much looking forward to it
Top Gun: Maverick sees Cruise returning to the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, which elevated him to mega stardom. Now a test pilot Captain, he finds himself being called to lead a training class featuring a new group of Top Gun graduates for a dangerous mission. One of the pilots happens to be the son of Maverick’s late friends Goose. Alongside Cruise, the sequel also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connolly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Ed Harris and Val Kilmer reprising his role as Maverick’s former rival Iceman.
There are many reasons why I’m excited for this sequel. The first and most obvious reason is the star himself, Tom Cruise. Entering his fifth decade of entertaining the world, Cruise is a mega star that has built and maintained his reputation of being both a charismatic screen presence and a thrill seeker who constantly puts himself against the odds to deliver the kind of entertainment worth experiencing on the big screen and this looks no different. Following a few years of declining popularity in the mid 2000s, he has seemingly reinvented himself as a real life superhero with films like the Mission Impossible franchise, American Made and Edge of Tomorrow. These movies have allowed Cruise to remind audiences why they fell in love with him in the first place and also show off his amazing stunt work that stars younger than him could only dream about. After a four year absence from the screen, moviegoers will be more than happy to welcome him back.
Another reason is the timing. Some may argue that it is way too late for a Top Gun sequel but ever since the original Tony Scott classic dominated movie theaters in 1986, it has remained in the pop culture zeitgeist where other action films of that era have faded. Between its multiple catchphrases, fun characters, sex appeal and its multi platinum soundtrack that features songs still heard in today’s media, this is a film that has stretched across generations making it a prime candidate for a years later sequel. Although many factors have stalled Maverick’s journey to the screen beginning with Scott’s suicide in 2012 which made some skeptical over who could take over his hyper active style of action filmmaking, the perseverance of Cruise and Bruckheimer to do this film honestly feels like a way to pay tribute to their fallen friend and collaborator as Top Gun is by most intents and purposes a film about friendship and overcoming the odds and the trailer definitely seems like its going for that same angle
Even with the many delays Maverick has faced, even dating back to before COVID where its original July 2019 release date was postponed because the filmmakers wanted to perfect the critical action and stunt work that will drive the film, something about this film always felt special to fans and especially Paramount. Most of the other tentpoles coming out this summer are very CGI heavy and have sort of a sameness to them. This, on the other hand, feels like a throwback to a summer blockbuster from the past that relied on flesh and blood stunt work, real explosions and the perfect mix of adrenaline pumping action and light hearted humor.
Finally, the delays could actually benefit Maverick in the end. With so much misery going around in the world right now, it is often common for audiences to gravitate towards movies that express pride and admiration for one’s country that in turn, lifts moviegoers’ spirits. This is not unlike how Harry Potter and especially Spider- Man captured the hearts of moviegoers reeling from the 9/11 attacks. In a time where there seems to be more bad than good, we’re going to be searching for films that promote heroism that real people can relate to and Cruise and company seem to know how to deliver in that front.
With marketing kicking into high gear, Paramount is doing everything they can to make Top Gun: Maverick one of the summer’s must see blockbusters. The film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival where Cruise will be honored for his career is one of the many ways the studio will drum up excitement.