"You've been called back to Top Gun." When the commanding officer played by Jon Hamm says that to Captain Pete Mitchell, played by Tom Cruise, he's not just speaking to the man called "Maverick." He's speaking to all moviegoers of a certain age who went to see TOP GUN when it was new in 1986. TOP GUN was one of those Tom Cruise features that did major business at the box office and cemented his position as an international movie star. I saw the recent follow-up, TOP GUN: MAVERICK. My first thought was "Man, this would have made for a great Rivers Family Night at the drive-in back in the day." TOP GUN: MAVERICK is a highly entertaining, exciting, action-packed and touching movie. It's about aging -- specifically, the aging of those who were young adults and went to see TOP GUN when it opened. It's also about the memory of fallen comrades and passing on knowledge to the younger generation.
In opening shots, we see Tom Cruise doing some naval jet maintenance. His biceps, slim waist and well-sculpted torso are so awesome that a lot of us guys might want to say, "Really? He and I both have AARP cards? Really?" Cruise is now 60.
As for the plot, all you need to know is that Captain Mitchell has been a burr in the backside for some commanding officers. He's got 30+ years of distinguished service to his credit yet he's not been promoted and he won't retire. He's aware that he's older and feels a slight chill from the younger fellows. He's holding on to personal heartbreak from the past. Maverick is assigned to teach and train hotshot new top gunners. There's friction between him and one called "Rooster." We'll discover why. Plus, there will be an extremely dangerous mission Maverick and Rooster will have to fly.
A sequence that truly touched my heartstrings features Val Kilmer. The actor, who has had some serious health challenges in recent years, returns as "Ice." To me, that scene has Cruise doing some of his best acting work. He's vulnerable and sincere. He's got tears in his eyes as he seeks advice from a dear friend. Kilmer's brief appearance was a beautiful thing to see. I love how he was worked into the script.
As for the aerial sequences....wow! They are fantastic. Here's a trailer.
I had such a good time watching this movie. The TOP GUN: MAVERICK cast includes Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Miles Teller and Glen Powell. Remember the volleyball scene in TOP GUY with all the shirtless, muscular navy dudes playing the game? There's a scene of shirtless, hot young navy dudes on the beach playing football in TOP GUN: MAVERICK.
I met and interviewed the charming Val Kilmer when I worked on VH1. At the time, he was promoting WILLOW. That 1988 fantasy movie followed 1986's TOP GUN. Val took me out to dinner one night. He was then represented by Michael Ovitz, a super-agent at Hollywood's powerful CAA talent agency. I asked Val how he got hooked up with Ovitz.
For him, it was simple. He was lucky. He told me that Ovitz's little girl had seen TOP GUN and thought Val Kilmer was "cute" as Iceman. She kept talking about how cute "Iceman" was and that was a good enough recommendation for her dad.
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