Top Gun: Maverick Review: ‘Intriguing plot and aerial stunts make you sigh’ – Andy Lea

Andy Lea says while the movie about people is fascinating, it really takes off when Tom Cruise takes to the skies, as the training scenes are so beautifully choreographed.

Not only does it avoid the dangerous areas of the long-awaited sequel, but Top Gun: Maverick is so much better than the original.

Sharper dialogue, more engaging storyline and dramatically improved aerial stunts really take your breath away.

Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is working as a US Navy test pilot and has the low rank of Captain.

No one has been able to figure out why he’s not an admiral so far, but the clue is in the name. Maverick’s refusal to play by the rules did not go well with his top teammates.

“The future is coming and you are not in it,” growled Ed Harris, an IS admiral, after Cruise disobeyed orders by flying a jet at 10 times the speed of sound.

Luckily, Iceman (Val Kilmer) is also an admiral, and it was his old man who offered him a shot at redemption.

An unnamed dodgy state will put banned nuclear weapons online in just three weeks. Iceman orders Maverick to return to the academy to prepare 12 of the “best of the best” young flyers for an extremely risky Dam Busters-style raid.

Classes start to get tough, as Maverick discovers Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Goose’s son from the first movie, who inherited his 80s father’s mustache and grudges. deeply with his teacher.

Our rule-breaking hero also has to make amends with an old flame (Jennifer Connelly) who now runs the Top Gun bar.

While the movie about the people is fascinating, the movie really takes off as Cruise (it’s really him in the cockpit) takes to the skies. The training sequences are superbly choreographed and the tension is beautifully built up to mission day.

Maverick is clearly instructed. He’s just a teacher and certainly won’t go by himself. Is that okay with him?

Again, the clue is in the name.

5 stars

In cinemas on Friday, May 27