Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Movie Drinking Game
Do a Shot: with every callback to the first Top Gun.
Take a Drink: for every take off.
Do a Shot: for every training “fail”
Do a Shot: every time you cry.
Pound a beer: to calm your nerves when the film ends.
By: Movie Snurb (A Toast) –
Though it’s been 36 years since Tony Scott’s original Top Gun film, it’s undisclosed how long it’s been since the events of the original Top Gun. It’s one of the many choices made about this film which will ultimately make this film a timeless release. Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is still flying planes for the Navy as a test pilot. After getting into trouble he must return to Top Gun to train and pick a team for a dangerous mission.
A Toast
It’s a simple setup mirroring the events of the original and still making this film its own beast. Some may say the writing is its weakest spot; however, I think the script does some key things to prove it is a good script.
Firstly, there is nothing to say what year this film takes place. We do not know how old Bradley Bradshaw is, just that he got a late start on his career. Cars, cellphones, real world events, nothing to show what year this takes place.
It’s a smart choice because it allows this film to basically exist in its own universe, and tells us that we the audience do not need to think or get bogged down about what year it is. The audience is able to just enjoy the movie.
Likewise in the writing of the “bad guys”, no country is given and the contents surrounding the mission are vague at best. But again, not giving any identity to who the bad guys are allows the film to become timeless.
The film progresses without getting into some kind of geopolitical issue that is going on in the real world, say making them Russian, which could distract people from just enjoying the film to having to think about the real world. We go to cinemas to escape, not to constantly be reminded how terrible the world is in its current state.
Yes, making those films is necessary and many can be quite good; but for a blockbuster like this, it’s better to allow that escapism. Everyone also realizes it is a money-making ploy so the film can do well in all countries, but it works in this instance.
The relationship between Miles Teller’s Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw and Tom Cruise’s Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is well done as well. They give a more complex rift between the two characters beyond Bradley blaming Pete for Bradley’s father’s death.
In doing this, the script allows more room for both characters to grow, giving them better arcs in the film that don’t make things feel forced and just a money grab. It’s also permits Teller and Cruise to give some of the better performances of their careers.
Put my guy in everything!
Tom Cruise hasn’t been this good since maybe Magnolia. It’s clear he has a deep love for “Maverick” and his emotional beats along with his struggling with being in a world that is phasing him out suits him at this juncture of his career.
Also, quick shout out to my guy Glenn Powell who eats with his small role as “Hangman”. The obvious villain for this film. It proves he needs to be in more things. Jennifer Connelly is also great even with her small screen time.
In this post-modern era of self-awareness and not with the internet and everything getting meme’d and made fun of, it’s rare to see a film be so earnest and not self-parodying so the internet cannot take it down first.
The film is truly earnest, for fans of the original and new ones alike. It’s refreshing to watch film with this much sincerity. It allows the audience to get swept up in the film and feel the emotions deeply. For instance the parts with Ice Man or the ending. There is a deep care that went into the writing and making of this film.
Speaking of care, Joseph Kosinski’s care and direction were perfect for this film. His collaboration with Tom Cruise and their understanding in what they envisioned for this film is a big reason as to why this film works.
Kosinski said he prefers to do things naturally; obviously there are things that must be CGI’d, but if he can do it naturally he will. That is the whole reason to see this movie. What they were able to film and pull off technically is nothing short of marvelous.
If this was mostly CGI’d with the characters clearly not flying but acting like they were in the air, this would feel like a cheap money grab and confuse everyone as to why they waited so long to do the sequel.
Instead, we get to see real flying, in IMAX, and it is exhilarating. I mean this in a good way, it’s like an amusement park ride. Once the film was over I wanted to go again. Some of those flying shots are stunning. Watching Ed Harris take a massive pressure wave that obliterates the set is something to behold and confirms that Ed Harris really is a bad ass.
I don’t know the Oscar potential for this film, it probably will run the below the line categories, but Kosinski should be in the running for Best Director. Unfortunately he probably won’t be, but everyone should keep their eyes on him because he might be the most underrated director working today, at least until now.
Verdict
Is this a bona fide masterpiece on the level of The Godfather? No. Is it a perfect blockbuster that should be seen in theaters, especially on the biggest screen possible? Yes. Fans of the original and non-fans alike will have a blast with this film.
