I was fully prepared to loathe Top Gun: Maverick.  Like most people, I rolled my eyes and shrugged when I heard about the sequel. The 1986 movie was definitely a product of its time. With that Regan fellow in the Whitehouse, everything was rah rah the military.  When I saw at the dorky age of 17, I thought it was so cool. I wanted to be Tom Cruise.

Then I grew up and realized that being a fighter pilot is an insanely rigorous job that demands extreme discipline, which was not something I possessed in any amount. Top Gun 1986 was a ridiculous fantasy that was pre-engineered to make men envious and women horny…or vice versa.

Fast forward to 2023, and here I am stuck in middle age scrolling through Amazon Prime. Maverick comes up on my feed.  I was going to ignore it, then I caught something enticing: Joseph Kosinski. Kosinski directed Maverick. How did I not know that?

Kosinski is a great director.  He helmed to of two of my favorite movies from the early 2010s: Oblivion and Tron Legacy.  Both movies had stunning visuals, a well-crafted story, and sublime scores.  Oblivion is probably in my top 25 sci-fi movies.  Cruise and Andrea Riseborough were an effective team. 

With Kosinski’s name, I decided to give Maverick a shot. Oh boy, did it go down smooth. Like a good whisky that makes you appreciate life. Like a stack of pancakes with just the right amount of butter. Like that satisfying morning poop that makes you feel one with the universe.    

Of course, the story is absurd, the characters are paper thin, and the pacing is lazy. Yet it all works perfectly.  It is nothing more than a nostalgic wander through an old neighborhood. A throw back to 1980’s era idealism.  A remembrance of Val Kilmer’s past. 

While watching the movie, I felt 17 again, envious and horny.  I wanted to be Maverick.  Of course Cruise was the best pilot in the training missions. There was no contrived emotional struggle. He was supremely competent and confident. Two things I was not at 17 (and lacking at 53 as well).   

Kosinski wisely threw away all of Cruise’s baggage and let him be nothing more than a cool guy who gets the girl and has a rad P-51 fighter.  He connects with old friends, old flames, and old enemies.  This movie was pre-engineered to satisfy middle-aged goobers, like me. 

Yeah, there was some sub-story about young kids with moustaches and Goose and whatever. I really do not care. It was fun to watch.

Nostalgia works best when it does not try too hard. Maverick does hits that mark squarely and slides right down the hatch.