Top Gun Maverick Explained: What’s Up With the Ending?

The best action game of modern times. Movie Review Top Gun Maverick (2022). “A Sequel with a Lot to Say”. The sequel to the cult action movie of the 80s, released thirty years after the premiere of the original, turned out to be an incredibly emotional spectacle and at the same time one of the best sequels to the classics in the history of world cinema.

“Top Gun: Maverick” is one of the most important long-term construction projects in Hollywood, reaching the big screens for almost forty years. Tony Scott, director of the first film in 1986, which was a huge success at the worldwide box office, originally hatched the idea for the second part, but committed suicide the day before the scheduled meeting with Tom Cruise, the lead actor. Since then, the project has remained in limbo, changing many potential directors and various screenwriters. This difficult journey has finally come to an end. The coveted sequel was supposed to come out two years ago, but as a result of the pandemic that reigned all around, the premiere was postponed until today.

Daring pilot Pete Mitchell, nicknamed Maverick, has been one of the Navy’s best pilots for more than thirty years: a fearless test pilot who pushes the boundaries of what’s possible and carefully avoids a promotion that would land him forever. As he trains a new generation of Top Gun alumni, Maverick meets Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw, the son of his late friend Gus.

Ahead is one of the most extreme, perhaps even deadly missions to destroy a strategically important enemy object, and behind you are the ghosts of the past. Maverick is forced to confront his deep-seated fears, which threaten to come to life as part of a mission that requires exceptional dedication from those who will be assigned to take off.

The new film by Joseph Kosinski, director of Tron: Legacy and Oblivion , is imbued from start to finish with the spirit of an old-school action movie that has the same fabulous naivety of the first part. To achieve such a result, the inevitable fan service is involved: some scenes from the original picture are recreated here almost exactly, but carry a slightly different meaning. The main theme of this sequel is the story of the clash of generations, in the center of which is a man who is eager to pass on his legacy to newcomers, realizing that he can help them not make the same mistakes that he himself once stumbled upon.

People change, and therefore the local Maverick is not only a well-known daredevil, but also a vulnerable person, desperately trying to figure out his past. Once military expertise removed responsibility from him, but Cruise’s character struggled for a long time with the feeling that it was his actions that caused the death of his best friend Gus during a routine exercise. Such a serious mental trauma receives natural echoes – Maverick now seeks to put himself under attack, as if wanting to meet certain death. He is also suffocatingly protective of Gus’s son, Bradley, also known as Rooster (Miles Teller). Their interaction builds a large part of the movie, which is sure to make all longtime Top Gun fans stingy male tear. The chic soundtrack from Harold Faltermeyer and Hanz Zimmer, vaguely reminiscent of the motives of Interstellar, will help in this .

Speaking about the technical perfection of the sequel, I don’t want to particularly strike any parallels with the Tony Scott film, since the difference in output between the two films is huge. “Best shooter” filmed in the 1980s for a ridiculous budget of fifteen million dollars by today’s standards. Its authors at one time admitted that they had to break the story into several segments and devote most of their time to the storyline on earth, where the protagonist’s drama unfolded. In the sequel, released thirty years later, the rules of the game have changed dramatically: atmospheric camera angles, incredible flight dynamics, constant tension within the Maverick team: the air battles are staged at the highest level not only due to the possibilities of the current era, but also due to the vigorous interaction of the characters. Each actor is impeccably cast, the chemistry between them really makes it a pleasure to watch.

The visual side here is also amazing. Claudio Miranda, an intelligent cameraman and part-time faithful assistant to Kosinski, has achieved such shots that at first it is impossible to believe – they are so good here. Some of them carefully refer to Maverick’s past, while others show the character’s moral growth in his attempts to find a common language with young pilots who will go on a suicide mission under his command. The suspense around the approaching final battle is pumped up almost non-stop, and the result fully pays off the expectations – the last twenty minutes are forced to shrink into a chair and drop your jaw on the floor.

Many viewers would prefer not to think about the politics of the film, wanting to find only a dizzying roller coaster in it. Apparently, the creators of Maverick understood this very well – not once in the entire film is the name of America’s enemy mentioned. All we know is that a rogue government is enriching uranium somewhere and they need to be stopped. Who is Iran, North Korea, characteristic of such a storyline? Kosinski’s camera never shows a single foreign flag or face. The bad guys might actually be aliens. So boldly Kosinski departs from the usual formula of a super-patriotic blockbuster and tells the story of one particular character. By the way, in this story there was a place for an incredibly touching cameo, from which you experience both delight and sadness.

Top Gun: Maverick is not filled with the crazy nostalgia we’re used to these days. It’s played smarter, more subtle, and generally filmed with real love for the original than any sequel released decades apart. It’s a real feat for director Joseph Kosinski to intelligently continue such a long story, while avoiding awkward self-repetitions, green screen and managing to aim for something truly ambitious, skillfully complementing the legacy of the first film.

The second part is thoroughly saturated with the amazing atmosphere of past action films, but at the same time, it seems to hint to its genre, which somehow miraculously came from “Top Gun” to “Fast and the Furious” , that it can still shine in all its glory. Kosinski has created the perfect attraction that is as good as Tony Scott’s original work and in some places surpasses it.

It seems that the essence of this dialogue, which unfolded in the first ten minutes of the film, smoothly alludes to Tom Cruise himself, a man who approaches his work with incredible dedication and maximum respect. One day we will no longer see his craziest tricks and bold author’s decisions that allow the entertainment genre to breathe deeply. But it won’t happen today.

Hi all! You know what I’ve been hearing lately from most people is that old-school action movies are not impressive. And that, they say, they are pretty boring, and they are nothing but stupid action. With which it is very difficult for me to agree. However, watching all sorts of bullshit from big studios about fictional characters in tight clothes, with bad computer graphics, is good and pleasant for them. The logic of people today, of course, is lame.

But I’m not one of those people who hate action movies for no particular reason. So it was with the Expendables trilogy. From the first two films, I just dragged myself and reviewed them at one time millions of times. However, the triquel has already fallen a little in my eyes, as the film has dropped from an R rating to a lower one, because of which a lot of dynamics, cruelty were removed from the film and, in fact, the entire epic was cut.

And now, years later, another film comes out on the screens, which continues what was already once filmed in 1986, and which is also an action game, but, in other words, about dogfights of fighters. This is in simple terms, so that everyone can understand. And of course I could not miss this new film, because this is a continuation of the very film that I watched a hundred times as a child, albeit on TV. Yes, I’m talking about the movie Top Gun Maverick, which turned out to be fucking awesome! But first things first.

The plot of the sequel takes place 36 years after the events of the first film. And in short, the main character of the film, played by Tom Cruise, nicknamed Maverick, is returned, roughly speaking, to a military base to train new pilots and prepare them for a new mission. Among which, according to the plot of the film, was the son, a long-dead friend of the protagonist, nicknamed Rooster, who does not have a very good relationship with Maverick because of the past. And now, Maverick will not only have to face his past in order to come to terms with it, but also train new pilots in order to eventually go on a new mission, to destroy a target that is heavily guarded. This is if we talk about the plot without spoilers.

And to be honest, the plot of the movie is just amazing. Yes, I did not describe the plot very well, but kamon, this is the best thing I can do so as not to spoil this film for those who have not watched it yet. I have not received such pleasure from watching a movie for a long time, I have never been so worried about the main characters and almost never remained satisfied, after watching the movie, for a bunch of years already. After all, the last time this happened to me was after watching the above-mentioned Expendables. And then Top Gun Maverick comes out and brings back the same movie-watching pleasure that I once had.

There is a place for everything in the story itself. Action, drama, humor and all that stuff. Therefore, to say that this film is a stupid action movie is simply impossible, because it is diverse. Yes, not everyone will like this film, because many of you will obviously find propaganda in this film for something, as is usually the case these days. However, this film lacks something for which I scold now, almost every second film. And this is minority propaganda. After all, it is simply not here! Yes, there is a female character in the team and an African American, but they do not advance in any way in terms of promoting minorities, and work purely for the film, like other actors. And it makes me damn happy!

The drama here is not really that big, but it sends us back to the past, namely the first film, and some of the events from it. Again, this is without spoilers. But the humor and action made me happy. The second, although not as much as we would like, in terms of combat on planes, but what is there is quite measuredly presented and easily entertains. Anyway, me. And yes, some old characters are also back, and if you watched the original movie, you should remember them all. The same Maverick, on which the film is focused, Iceman, Goose, or rather his son, nicknamed Rooster and others. They will definitely please those who are a fan of the original film.

The soundtrack in the film is also familiar, and hearing the original theme of the film, I shed a little. After all, I watched the original when I was still a first-grader, and then I also liked it. And what are the 8-bit games on the NES worth, which, under the impression of the film, I flirted to holes in my childhood. All in all, it was a fun time. And this sequel, Top Gun Maverick, brings all that feeling back from the old days.

And in the end, I understand why this film earned so much money. Why it turned out so successful that Marvel and DC will have to try to surpass this film. After all, Top Gun Maverick is the movie that you watch and want to watch. Because of which I will most likely watch it again after I watch the first part again, after so many years. This film has great action, great drama and good humor, as well as the whole staging of the film, which is executed perfectly.

And my audience rating for this film … but why pull the cat by the bells, all 10 out of 10. This is the best film in my memory lately, next to which, no women of the Hulk and any other meshura stood. This is a truly lively, excellent and entertaining film, which, personally, gave me only positive emotions. And whether you like this film, it will already depend on you personally.

Top Gun: Maverick is the biggest blockbuster of the year. Now you can watch it at home

On August 23, Top Gun: Maverick, the continuation of the cult action movie with Tom Cruise, was released in foreign online cinemas.

It has already become the highest-grossing film of 2022 and  the 12th highest-grossing film of all time  – above the eighths of Star Wars, Age of Ultron and the latest Harry Potter. We tell why such colossal fees are not an accident and  whether Top Gun : Maverick really deserves the title of the main blockbuster of the year.

REASON NUMBER 1? Minimalist but touching storyline

Pete Maverick Mitchell arrives at Top Gun Military School to train young pilots. Once upon a time , he himself got out of there. Maverick is already in his fifties, and he is only a captain – while his classmates have already risen to the rank of admiral. This is because the hero is a daredevil who relies not on army regulations, but on ingenuity and intuition. He himself does not want to go on promotion: after all, then he will have to get out of the cab.

The school is not particularly happy about his arrival: Maverick’s fame has long been ahead of him. But they cannot expel the hero: they stand up for him from above. They believe that it is Maverick that young pilots need. He can teach them to think outside the box and rely on the mind, and not just on mechanisms and sensors.

Maverick must prepare pilots for a very dangerous mission – the elimination of a secret scientific laboratory in an unnamed extremist state. The task is almost impossible, someone probably will not return from it alive. To complicate matters, one of Maverick’s students is the son of his late friend, Nick Goose Bradshaw. He still blames Maverick for the death of his father and cannot forgive the hero for preventing him from entering the flight school several times.

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The plot in the new Top Gun is very simple, almost rudimentary. Most of the time, the heroes prepare for the final mission and at the same time settle personal conflicts. Maverick learns to accept his weaknesses. The bully cannot cope with the fear of risk in any way – all because of the looming figure of the deceased father.

The minimalism of the script in the case of Top Gun  is not a weakness at all. This is a movie with nothing more to say. All conflicts are resolved almost without words, through actions. This is how it should be in a real action movie : remember at least the last “Mad Max”.

Bradley Badass Bradshaw is played by Miles Teller, the star of Obsession. Source: Paramount

This is not to say that there is no plot at all. For all its directness , Top Gun manages to tell a powerful story of brotherhood, fatherhood, and sacrifice. At the controls of the aircraft, the heroes learn to accept their injuries. If the first part was a jingoistic action movie about the strength of an individual, the second part is a tender drama about the fact that there is nothing more important than human life.

As in Nolan’s Dunkirk, the main feat here is not defeating the enemy, but returning alive. Therefore, the enemy does not even have a name. Until the end of the film, we never know who the main characters fought. It doesn’t matter. The movie is not about that.

REASON NUMBER 2? Awesome action

Almost all of the action was filmed live. The main advantage of the new “Top Gun”  is the battle scenes on the planes. As in the last Mission: Impossible installments, the film’s stunts are filmed with minimal use of graphics, from wild turns in fighter jets to dangerous flights between cliffs. Although the actors do not fly the planes themselves, they really are in the cockpits – behind the stunt pilots.

“Top Gun: Maverick” proves one simple thing: no matter how good computer graphics are in our time, they still can not be compared with real shooting. You can animate flights as realistic as you want and make the most detailed models in the world. But  it is hardly possible to copy all the textured little things: reflections from helmets and fuselage, glare on the surface of the water from fighters rushing by, or how effectively the sand swirls from a plane taking off nearby.

The film crew was able to shoot this shot only once. Because the scenery on the left was blown away by the airflow from the plane. Source: Paramount

All this may seem unimportant, but it is precisely such details that make up the charm of the Maverick. Even if you do not notice them, they are recorded unconsciously. And thanks to them, the  action scenes in the new Top Gun are so alive. Here you feel every blow, every shot and every sharp turn with your body.

It sounds like a terrible cliché, but in the case of Top Gun, it’s absolutely true: the film makes you squat in your chair. As if you yourself are experiencing overload in the cockpit of a fighter.

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If you’re tired of all modern action movies looking sterile and artificial, Top Gun: Maverick has something to surprise you with. Source: Paramount

Top Gun has a spectacular structure. The action scenes in the film work not only because of the nature of the filming. “Top Gun:Maverick” is also amazingly dramatic to the action. Throughout the film, the characters are preparing for the final task: they painstakingly go through all the stages of the exercises, explain to each other and the viewer the intricacies of the mission, and tell why it is so dangerous.

When it comes down to it, we understand the risks and actions of the characters very well. No more need for explanations. The final 20 minutes of Maverick is an unending stream of beautifully choreographed action.

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Throughout the film, the viewer is led to a single huge action scene . Source: Paramount

Top Gun was directed by a great director. The film was produced by Tom Cruise and Christopher Macquarie, the authors of the latest Mission Impossible films. But the direction was entrusted to Joseph Kosinski, who directed Oblivion, The Cause of the Brave and Tron: Legacy. And this is perhaps the best choice possible.

On the one hand, Kosinski understands perfectly how to work with large-scale action and visual effects – practical and computer. He proved this in Oblivion and Throne. On the other hand, “The Cause of the Brave” demonstrated that he is a master at telling touching genre stories about professional fraternity.

In the second “Top Gun” he combines his best skills. This is both a high-profile epic action movie and a melodrama about the relationships of colleagues in a dangerous profession.

REASON NUMBER 3? A film about the greatness of Tom Cruise

IndieWire reviewer David Ehrlich made an interesting point  – that the picture could simply be called “Tom Cruise: The Movie”. And it is: Top Gun 2 reads like a meta-history about Cruise’s relationship with the modern film industry.

Like his hero, Tom Cruise is a daredevil, an artifact of a bygone era. Nobody else works like him. No other action actor in Hollywood puts his life on the line to make the movie more interesting to the viewer. Technology has long replaced such desperate professionals. In one of the first scenes, Maverick is told that no one will need him soon, that his time is about to pass. “Yes,” the hero replies. – But not today”.

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Jennifer Connelly plays the main character’s romantic interest in the film. For her sake, he even thinks about quitting flying – but he gets into the cockpit anyway. Source: Paramount

This is also Cruise’s own answer to the reality of cinema in the 2020s . He really comes from the past, and his methods really may die with him. But he doesn’t care. Hollywood’s latest star, Tom Cruise continues to push his limits and make big-screen movies in a way that only he can.

Like Maverick, Cruz knows he’s the best. But along with this – and before the actor was not noticed – in the new “Top Gun” he finally recognizes his old age. Tom Cruise is no longer trying to seem forever young, sadly realizing that his time is really running out. And all he can do is take the last flight and perhaps inspire young pilots to follow in his footsteps. Well, or young filmmakers. Here’s how it works.

In that sense, it’s interesting to see Top Gun: Maverick break one box office record after another. The 36-year-old sequel to the least-anticipated movie overtakes several Avengers installments on the list of the most successful films in the US – and continues to earn money three months after the premiere. It turns out that Cruz was right in the film and in life. Maverick really needs the world. And intuition and ordinary human courage can still defeat soulless algorithms.

In recent years, Hollywood studios have been afraid to take risks, which is directly related to inflated production budgets. Therefore, everyone is trying to minimize the risks by releasing endless reboots, movie comics or trying to create their own “movie universes”. However, due to the general degradation of the quality of performance on all fronts, even proven methods may not work.

In such an atmosphere, the success of Top Gun: Maverick dilutes the dull picture. Yes, we are talking about a sequel to the once cult film, but in the current environment, this is far from a guarantee of success. After all, the original tape was released back in 1986, during which time a lot of water has flowed under the bridge.

However, “Maverick” had a battering ram in the person of Tom Cruise , who, in his venerable 60 years, stubbornly goes against the tide, refusing to grow old and constantly prevails. The production of the tape proved to be difficult due to the pandemic, which broke the deadlines and inflated the already impressive budget. In addition, there were problems with financing, because at the last moment Tencent withdrew from the project. That is why the map of Taiwan was returned to the jacket of the protagonist.

Cruise was campaigned by Joseph Kosinki. Yes, in the review of the film Spiderhead, but we must pay tribute – he knows how to work with big budgets. And this is perfectly visible on Maverick.

The duet’s task was ambitious – to make a spectacular action movie, carefully handling the original material. And they succeeded.

It’s been 36 years since the events of the first movie. Peter “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) never made it past the rank of captain due to constant problems. The unlucky pilot is saved only by the patronage of Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky ( Val Kilmer ) and the desire to fly.

After unsuccessful tests of the newest Maverick aircraft, they are removed from the project and transferred to train a group of young pilots for a suicidal mission. The task is to destroy an enemy facility for the production of nuclear weapons. The problem is that due to the serious defense and difficult terrain, pilots can only use outdated F-18s, while the enemy has fifth-generation Su-57 fighters.

Complicating the captain’s task are short training times and a conflict with one of the pilots, Lieutenant Bradley “Badass” Bradshaw ( Miles Teller ). The latter is the son of Mitchell’s best friend – Nick “Goose” Bradshaw , who died in the first part.

Despite the simplicity of the plot, in which the story about the training of inexperienced youths is literally crossed with the film Star Wars: A New Hope, Kasinski’s team is trying to squeeze the maximum out of it. “Maverick” is a real aviation porn, which skillfully demonstrates air battles, and the cameraman literally relishes the work of the crew of an aircraft carrier, focusing on small details. Here you can see both close-ups and general ones, while it is always clear where someone is, which is an important fact.

At the same time, the operators use a lot of scenes filmed in cockpits to emphasize the emotions of people, but this is not confusing. The characters are actively talking and gesticulating, if the pilot is looking for an enemy aircraft, then the next frame usually shows exactly where he is looking.

So that the viewer does not get bored, the landscape is constantly changing in the film. There is a desert area with canyons, a mountain range with snow, forests with rivers and a water surface with an obligatory aircraft carrier.

The creators of the sequel are not alien to self-irony. As you know, the original Top Gun is considered by many to be a story about a man who is trying to realize his homosexuality. And the volleyball scene has long turned into a meme. In the sequel, there is a scene with a game of American football, only “Maverick” is no longer a latent homosexual, but a heterosexual with a romantic interest in the face of a single mother who owns a bar.

Tom Cruise still shines as the ageless action hero who disarms everyone with his smile, while constantly inventing new challenges for himself. A single moment of the film – Val Kilmer. As you know, due to the fight against cancer of the larynx, the actor has lost the ability to speak normally. The filmmakers carefully crafted this into the plot while also playing with fan expectations.

The tape also continues the tradition of depersonalizing enemies. In the literal sense, because enemy pilots wear black helmets. The mission parameters are a complete vinaigrette. The main goal suggests that the attack on Iran was taken as the basis, although the heroes are opposed by fighters. On the other hand, this approach allows you to expand the audience, at the same time shifting the focus.

“Top Gun: Maverick” offers nothing fundamentally new or breakthrough. However, this is a tightly tailored and very entertaining film about pilots, which feels as good as possible within the framework outlined by its creators. Considering the modern mess in Hollywood, this is a major achievement for which Joseph Kosinka and Tom Cruise should be congratulated.