Another Take -- Top Gun: Maverick

"Top Gun: Maverick" is an adrenaline-boosting ride that delivers a little bit of that lovin' feeling and nostalgia as one of the summer's most anticipated films.

In 1986, a film about the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter school, better known as TOP GUN, became a cultural phenomenon. Ray-Bans were all the rage, the U.S. Navy's aviation program application rate increased 500%, and Tom Cruise became a solidified Hollywood star. "Danger Zone," a fist-pumping rock anthem from soundtrack legend Kenny Loggins blasted from the car stereos of Oldsmobile Cutlasses and Chevy Corvettes alike.

"Top Gun," the 8th highest-grossing film of the decade worldwide, was a combination of bromance beach volleyball, radical flight sequences, and the most quotable movie lines from the 80s. Who could forget an adorable 25-year-old Meg Ryan yelling over the crowded bar, "Hey Goose, ya big stud, take me to bed now or lose me forever!" Not me. Besties Maverick and Goose strutted down the airstrip, finishing each other's sentences, "I feel the need… the need for speed!" If you were alive in the 80s, you likely quoted one of the film's many one-liners.

After more than 30 years, welcome back to Top Gun. "Danger Zone" returns to usher in a satisfying dose of nostalgia and thrilling aerodynamics: a toned and tanned Maverick races fighter jets on his bike along the horizon. Fog dissolves over the flight deck, chiseled pilots climb into their aircraft, and commanding officers loom from the tower above. Much like Maverick's wardrobe, some things never change. The screenplay chases the original story so closely that the writers must have agreed to one collective motto: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

This time around, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is called upon to prepare the best of the best fighter pilots to carry out military orders against an unknown enemy. (It's probably Russia.) The recruits include Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller, excellent), the son of Maverick's late friend and wingman "Goose." Maverick accepts command of the recent graduates and finds himself confronting old fears and new challenges.

During his downtime, he pursues a romance with Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), a former love who owns and operates a local bar. The story doesn't go deep enough to connect its main characters and fails to create an authentic romance between Maverick and Penny. Their "love scene," the most boring few minutes of the film, is a great time to refill your popcorn bucket. I found myself not caring if they ended up together or not. But give me a scene with buff Navy pilots playing a sweaty game of beach football, and I'll let a few things slide.

I couldn't help but miss the forbidden sexual chemistry between Charlie and Maverick, one of the premises of the original film. I figured that's how you let boys know you had a crush: chase them on their bikes in your convertible at dangerously high speeds through city streets as they ride for their life. I figured that all grown-up bedrooms came with blue lighting options, and "Take My Breathe Away" queued up in the cassette player. I was 11. Who knew real-life men didn't leave you roses and meticulously folded paper airplanes in bed? I'll tell you who -- our mothers. But it was the 80s – a creative license to excuse much of the decade.

Passion isn't the only mark that the sequel misses; the bromance factor falls short of the original, but there's enough spirited comradery to atone for the deficit. The intensity between the pilots is dull, and no real effort is made to convince us of the hostility between feuding officers or emotional bonds between others. The story takes itself too seriously and is repetitive in places where it should be creative. Familiar as the format may be, listening to a new cast drop decades-old punchlines falls a little cringy on the ears.     

Still, for all its predictability, the flying scenes are innovative and spectacular. The final mission sequence is particularly gratifying. As blockbuster films depend more on computer-generated visual effects, the long-awaited sequel is a refreshing example of cinematic realism and authenticity in film. Carefully choreographed camera angles and editing place you in the cockpit of the U.S. Navy F/A-18s as the pilots square off against one another and navigate enemy terrain.

You gotta give him credit; Cruise commits to showmanship with unstoppable physical stunts that he insists on performing himself. It's fun to watch him in action, fearless and eternally handsome, maneuvering alongside actors half his age (he's almost 60 years old), risking his safety for our entertainment and pleasure.

Cruise's life-long enthusiasm for aviation amplifies the film's thrill factors. As one of the producers, he dedicated a big piece of the budget to training the actors to withstand g-forces so they were comfortable and capable of mirroring real fighter pilots. In real life, he's been a licensed pilot since 1994. The film even features his personal P-51 Mustang, a WWII fighter that costs between $2.5 and $4 million. I wonder how Maverick affords such an aircraft on his Navy salary. (It's probably classified.)

"Top Gun: Maverick" is an adrenaline-boosting ride that delivers a little bit of that lovin' feeling and nostalgia as one of the summer's most anticipated films. While the sequel's impact on Ray-Ban sales and aviation recruits remains to be seen, a word of caution to future Navy applicants: the real Top Gun school imposes a $5 fine on any staff member who quotes the film.

Buzzing the flight tower will cost you extra.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is now available in theaters.