Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Okay…I get why this movie made almost 1.5 billion dollars. It plays the nostalgia cards right. It has homages and throwbacks to the original film, but it still progresses the story forward. Yes, on paper it is the same exact film as the original. HOWEVER!!! It took what made the original a classic and made it better in every way. The finale was fantastic. They could have called it on the mission complete but the stakes needed to be higher with edge-of-your-seat action. This really did strike that perfect balance of nostalgia and proper sequel improvement. The relationships had proper tension. Maverick is a ballsy pilot. It’s everything that needed to be in a Top Gun sequel.

Story - 18%

Characters - 18%

Pacing - 18%

Spectacle - 19%

Entertainment - 20%

Total score: 93%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here