Why 'Top Gun: Maverick' Is the Best Thing Hollywood Has Produced in Years
The movie stays in its lane and delivers exactly what the audience wants
It’s been a long time since we had a summer blockbuster that lives up to the hype. I was skeptical when I heard there would be a sequel to the original Top Gun because I didn’t think it was necessary and it was more of Hollywood’s inability to come up with original quality content. The movie complements the original as The Empire Strikes Back works with Star Wars: A New Hope, but the ending doesn’t hint at a need for a third movie to close out the story.
The movie gives plenty of fan service to the original with Goose’s death while making his son an integral part of the plot, an appearance by Val Kilmer, a new beach sports scene, and an Admiral’s daughter. It’s worth watching the original before going to see Maverick to not miss out on any references. Real planes are used as much as possible in the action sequences and CGI is limited. The actors went through a boot camp to mimic real pilots.
The most refreshing thing about the movie is the lack of woke virtue signaling which has ruined entertainment. Storytelling got priority over plugging divisive ideas like White privilege. It’s a diverse cast with women, a Latino American, three Asian Americans, and two Black Americans. However, the movie doesn’t make diversity a focus and everyone fits their role. There’s no obvious and forced “diversity hire” like Reva from Obi-Wan Kenobi.
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