The hype surrounding Top Gun: Maverick has been very real for the past two years โ and arguably long before that since Tony Scottโs original hit theatres โ but now, early reactions from the critics in attendance at Las Vegasโ CinemaCon 2022 have only confirmed our suspicions. Weโre in for a proper ripsnorter.
For the very first time, the entirety of the highly-anticipated sequel was screened to 3,000 lucky individuals outside of the filmโs immediate production and studio. And as the AVClub has pointed out, youโll be hard-pressed to find a single negative word about it. So far.
Praise has even been doled out to the musical elements. For those of you who missed the announcement, Lady Gaga has carried on the torch from Berlin, replacing the iconic โTake My Breath Awayโ with her latest single โHold My Handโ โ which you can look forward to hearing during the end credits (donโt worry, Kenny Logginโs โDanger Zoneโ has apparently made an epic return).
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Confirmation bias aside, the news of Top Gun: Maverick actually being a โworthy successorโ and the โbest film of the yearโ is rather unsurprising given Tom Cruiseโs dedication to practical stunts and high-octane action cinematography compounded with the sheer spectacle it promises to deliver and the nostalgia-rich territory that comes attached with a beloved property such as this. Hell, prior to the latest full-length screening, the first 12 minutes alone had audiences going apeshit.
Unfortunately, the same 13 minutes isnโt readily available to stream for the outside world just yet. The good folks over at Deadline, however, provided the following description of what was screened:
In the sequence, Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (portrayed by Tom Cruise) is informed that the Top Gun program is getting shut down. He decides to defy the Admiral (portrayed by Ed Harris) making the decision to fly to Mach 10. Maverick fires up the jet at dusk in the middle of the desert. Heโs warned, โYou know what happens if you go through with this.โ But Maverick doesnโt care, โI know what happens to everyone else if I donโt." โAlright, sweetheart, one last ride,โ the buckaroo pilot adds. โHeโs the fastest man alive,โ says the control booth technician as Maverick pushes toward Mach 9. The whole room is in awe as Lorne Balfeโs heavenly symphonic music plays. Then as Maverick hits 9.8, it looks like the engine is gonna blow, but he makes Mach 10 and the control room goes wild. Maverick then pushes past 10.1 before his engines blow and the screen in the control room goes dark. It looks like the plane is exploding in mid-air. Maverick lives. We see him walking into the middle of a country diner, the patrons shocked at a pilot entering. โWhere am I?โ he asks. โEarth,โ responds a little boy at the diner counter.
RELATED: โTop Gun โ Maverickโ Is (Probably) The Most Fun Youโll Have In Cinemas This Year
The final trailer dropped this past month offered a better look at Miles Teller as pilot trainee Lieutenant Bradley โRoosterโ Bradshaw, son of the late RIO Nick โGooseโ Bradshaw; in addition to introducing this franchise instalmentโs answer to the Maverick-Ice Man rivalry with Glen Powell as hotshot flyboy who goes by the callsign of โHangman.โ Letโs just say, even before considering all the complexities of being instructed by your deceased fatherโs best friend/the man who you hold responsible for your fatherโs deathโฆ emotions, adrenaline, and testosterone levels will run high.
Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and Glen Powell are joined by Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer, Monica Barbaro, Manny Jacinto, as well as Lewis Pullman. In the directorโs chair, youโll find Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) working with a screenplay penned by Justin Marks (The Jungle Book), Peter Craig (The Hunger Games), Eric Warren Singer (American Hustle), plus longtime Cruise collaborator Christopher McQuarrie โ also known as the bloke behind the two most recent Mission: Impossible films, the next two Mission: Impossible films, and Edge of Tomorrow.
Top Gun: Maverick has a revised release date of May 26th here in Australia โ check out a selection of the early reactions from critics below.
