With remarkable visuality, striking action and electrifying scores, "Top Gun" was a massive blockbuster in 1986. Director Tony Scott's stylish mixture of action drama, romance and music video set the trend for subsequent Hollywood blockbusters, grossed more than $350 million and made Tom Cruise a superstar. Thirty-six years later, he and successful producer Jerry Bruckheimer have dared to make a sequel.
Speaking ahead of the screening of his film "Top Gun: Maverick" in Cannes, Cruise said fans had been requesting a sequel for a long time but that he had not felt ready for it. "I was like 'I need to grow as an artist, I need to understand what cinema is,'" he said.
Back then, Pete Mitchell aka Maverick – played by Tom Cruise – was the hotshot who seduced his instructor during special training as a fighter pilot. In the sequel he is single, an aging captain tasked with preparing a young squad of pilots – this time partly female – for a dangerous combat mission. Among the students is Rooster, played by Miles Teller, the son of his former co-pilot Goose, who died tragically in the first film. This initially creates tension. And of course, things end up going differently than planned during the mission.
Maverick's romance with his former lover Penny Benjamin flares up again. Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly plays Penny, who was not in the film in 1986 but was briefly mentioned in a scene. Connelly exudes an authentic warmth, as she so often does, and harmonizes well with Cruise.
Part of the reason it took over 30 years to make the sequel is that Cruise and Hollywood veteran Bruckheimer wanted to use as few computer-generated special effects as possible. "The only CGI effects are the explosions – it's a bit too expensive to blow up the jets," Bruckheimer told dpa with a laugh.
The flying scenes are more spectacular than in the first film because the actors flew in real F-18 fighter jets, which makes the action look more authentic than the back-screen projections of the 1980s.
Incidentally, the fact that the headstrong Maverick is allowed to train the next generation at all, after various cases of insubordination and the destruction of state property, is thanks to his old buddy Iceman, played by Val Kilmer, who has his back as an admiral. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer a few years ago. He was able to beat the disease, but 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.
In terms of content, "Top Gun: Maverick" is partly a modernized remake of the old story. The mission of the fighter pilots is also curiously reminiscent of the first "Star Wars" movie and Luke Skywalker's attack on the Death Star. While the plot is somewhat predictable, this does not detract from the film's enjoyment, as the makers manage to strike a good balance between nostalgic moments and modern-day action.
As in 1986, the gripping soundtrack plays an important role. Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" experiences a renaissance and Harold Faltermeyer provides his well-known theme tune. The rest is a co-production by Lorne Balfe, jack-of-all-trades Hans Zimmer and superstar Lady Gaga. What was then "Take My Breath Away" by Giorgio Moroder and the U.S. pop band Berlin is now Gaga's "Hold My Hand," a timeless power ballad that perfectly captures 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 last 20 years. "Top Gun: Maverick" is an excellent action thriller and a summer blockbuster – popcorn cinema in the best sense, which has unfortunately been far too rare in recent years.