**A very good sequel, maybe even better than the first "Top Gun"** I enjoyed this movie a lot. It has a straight and simple and yet captivating story and a lot of very good top tier action, and wich was done by using mostly practical effects and filmmaking and was not a CGI overkill, unlike so many blockbuster action movies nowadays. The movie also stands out as an example for a very good sequel, which might even be superior to the first movie. If you can see past the blatant and yet relatively sparingly inserted "US world police" prop***anda (which was in the first "Top Gun" as well), this movie can be a very fun ride for you, especially if you are into a somewhat conservative action movie experience. Thank you, Tom Cruise, for giving us such a movie in the 2020ies! A very good sequel, maybe even better than the first "Top Gun".

You're not supposed to like this, very literally. IMDb will block your reviews of this movie if you praise it. Amazon (owned by the same company) is fudging the like ratio, and Youtube did the same with the trailer. That makes sense. It really does. Maverick is a patriotic action movie with a male lead that doesn't make the male lead look like an idiot. The white guy isn't evil. America isn't evil. It's a sequel that doesn't trash the heroes of the first film or attack the fans. From start to finish it's just a solid apolitical action movie. So of course you are supposed to hate it, it literally breaks all the rules of modern Hollywood. And that was why it was the biggest blockbuster of the past few years. That is why it had returns that would be a mega-bock buster pre-COVID. It's the type of movie that people actually want to see, which is why it's under attack on certain sites. You're not supposed to know that people like it and they weren't supposed to make a movie that people wanted to see. Everything has to be a propaganda piece. But you want to know a secret? If this came out in the 80s it wouldn't have done well. It's not as good of an action movie as they had back then. It actually sort of sucks compared to a lot of the classic action movies of this genre. But then it came out in 2022 and the rules have all changed. Today everything is racist or far left. So what you have here is a movie that is great... by 2022 standards... simply because it's not the crap that Hollywood is shoving down your throats and demanding that you like.

Top Gun: Maverick had a ton of praise when I finally got around to watching it and it did a relatively good job living up to it. My main two complaints from the original have been entirely corrected in it's sequel: cheesy dialogue and terrible shot selection in the aerial sequences. The script has been vastly improved upon with updated dialogue just all around better acting than the original. There were not corny lines or interactions that felt awkward. The aerial combat sections are incredible, they are done with such precision and purpose. I could actually understand what was on and where the fighter crafts were in relation to each. These raised the stacks and hade me fully invested. The overall story is pretty great. I loved how the recruits were training for a final "suicide" mission, instead of just graduating from the academy. The dynamics between Tom Cruise and his superiors/students were great and felt witty and genuine. The continued relationship with Iceman was touching as they seem to have a real connection that has lasted throughout the years, although I thought his illness and they way they presented it was a bit out of place. My one big complain his Cruises love interest. This plot really has no impact on the story and is just thrown in there for old time sakes. I did enjoy their chemistry together and it was cute to his interactions with daughter. But, I watched the original directly before this and was utterly confused on who she was. It was really odd to have a throw away line in the original be the main love interest in the sequel, but like I said, it did not have a huge impact. The performances are spectacular in this film. Tom Cruise and Miles Teller are standouts and their back and forth is really fun to see, delivering some funny jabs but some series dramatic moments. Jon Hamm was great as a hard ass commanding officer. Glen Powell was a standout as well, his cockiness and rivalry with Rooster was great but complex. This film is a blast, and I really wish I would have made the time to see it in theaters. I really enjoyed this and I am definitely not one who fancies these types of films, but it captured me. Score: 87% Verdict: Excellent