Beautiful pictures, spectacular flight scenes and a gripping soundtrack full of hits. In the summer of 1986, “Top Gun” was the biggest box office hit. The stylish mixture of action drama, romance and music video by director Tony Scott was style-defining for subsequent Hollywood blockbusters, grossed more than 350 million US dollars and made Tom Cruise a superstar. Today the film, which ran in this country as “Top Gun – They fear neither death nor the devil”, is a piece of 80s cult. 36 years later, Tom Cruise and successful producer Jerry Bruckheimer dare to do a sequel.
“Wherever I went, there were always so many people asking for another Top Gun,” Cruise said ahead of his film’s screening in Cannes. “Top Gun: Maverick” is one of the highlights of the film festival there. But Cruise didn’t feel ready for a sequel for a long time. Immediately after the release of the blockbuster, those responsible wanted to shoot a sequel, he recalled. “I said: I don’t want to do it, I have to grow as an artist, I have to understand what cinema is and I know what I don’t know.”
Back then, Pete Mitchell aka Maverick (Tom Cruise) was the hotshot who seduced his instructor during his special training as a fighter pilot. In “Top Gun: Maverick,” he’s a single, aging captain tasked with preparing a young squad of pilots — and this time, female pilots — for dangerous combat missions. Among the students is Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of his former co-pilot Goose, who died tragically in the first film. At first, this creates tension. And of course, some things on the mission go differently than planned.
Old Romance
On top of that, Maverick’s romance with his former lover, Penny Benjamin, reignites. Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly (“A Beautiful Mind”) plays Penny, who didn’t appear in the film in 1986 but was briefly mentioned in one scene – a charming idea and now a sympathetic love story, especially since Connelly is really wonderful in the role . As so often, it radiates an authentic warmth and harmonises well with the Maverick/Cruise, which has meanwhile matured.
Director Joseph Kosinski showed in 2010 with “Tron: Legacy” that he can do excellent sequels. The 48-year-old saw “Top Gun” in the cinema when he was twelve. “I remember that it was the benchmark of the ultimate summer film and also a really beautiful film,” Kosinski told the German Press Agency in London. With “Top Gun: Maverick” he tried to bring an exciting experience like he had in his childhood back to the screen.
“We shot the film in the classic way,” says Kosinksi, “and captured as much as possible on camera.” The fact that it took over 30 years for the sequel is also due to the fact that Cruise and Hollywood veteran Bruckheimer (“Beverly Hills Cop”, “The Rock”) didn’t want to use many special effects from the computer. “The only CGI effects are the explosions,” says Bruckheimer, laughing. “It’s a bit too expensive to blow up the jets.”
Spectacular flight scenes
The flight scenes are more spectacular than its predecessor because the actors flew in real F18 fighter jets, making the action more authentic than the rear-wall projections of the 80s, and because camera technology has evolved. “We have pictures that you would never have gotten in the 80s,” says Kosinski. Tony Scott, who died in 2012, would certainly have enjoyed it. The following applies to this powerful image: the larger the canvas, the better.
Incidentally, it is thanks to his old buddy Iceman (Val Kilmer), who has his back as an admiral, that the stubborn maverick is allowed to train the next generation after various cases of disobeying orders and the destruction of state property. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer a few years ago. Although he was able to beat cancer, the actor lost his voice. A central scene with Iceman and Maverick is one of the best moments of the film – and will move many viewers to tears.
Modernized remake of the old story
In terms of content, “Top Gun: Maverick” is partly a modernized remake of the old story. Curiously, the mission of the fighter pilots is also suspiciously reminiscent of the first “Star Wars” part and Luke Skywalker’s attack on the Death Star. The plot is not too extensive and somewhat predictable. But that doesn’t affect the enjoyment of the film at all, because the makers manage to strike a good balance between nostalgic moments and modern action films.
As in 1986, the gripping soundtrack plays a role. Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” is experiencing a renaissance. Harold Faltermeyer delivers his well-known title tune. The rest is a co-production of Lorne Balfe (“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”), Jack of all trades Hans Zimmer and superstar Lady Gaga. What was then “Take My Breath Away” by Giorgio Moroder and the US pop band Berlin is now Gaga’s “Hold My Hand”, a timeless power ballad that perfectly matches the tone of the film.
Tom Cruise is considered a perfectionist. As co-producer of the “Mission: Impossible” series, he created some of the best action films of the past 20 years. Most of the time, Christopher McQuarrie (Writer’s Oscar for The Usual Suspects), who also worked on the script of Top Gun: Maverick, is there. Again, the result is an excellent action hit and a summer blockbuster – popcorn cinema in the best sense of the word, which has unfortunately been far too rare in recent years.
Source: Nachrichten
