When it comes to legacy sequels, the good ones are few and far between. Sure, you have something like A Good Day to Die Hard more often than not. But on rare occasions, you get something such as Blade Runner 2049 – a movie that lives up to the promise of the original. The conventional wisdom says that most legacy sequels are doomed to fail despite the outcome. Once in a while, however, the exception to the rule is proven, like with Top Gun: Maverick.
Released 36 years after the original, Top Gun: Maverick has had a long road to the big screen. The movie was in the works for over a decade! Was the wait worth it? Does Tom Cruise still have drawing power outside of the Mission: Impossible franchise? Did the new film, um, top the original? Let’s find out.
Cover Photo: Paramount
It’s true that Top Gun: Maverick is a crowd-pleasing film that reminds us why we go to the movies. More interestingly, the movie grapples with some crucial questions: Is there even a place in this world for movie stars like Tom Cruise anymore? Can they stay relevant in the modern age? The answer to both is a resounding yes. Top Gun: Maverick is the Skyfall of Tom Cruise’s movie career, ultimately proving movie stars still have drawing power at the cinema.
Overall Winner: Top Gun: Maverick
MMB: Top Gun Maverick vs Top Gun
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Tom Cruise: Movie Star
There’s no doubt that Tom Cruise’s career would have been very different if not for this movie. In certain respects, Cruise’s performance as Maverick is more iconic than even the movie itself. It’s true that the brand-new sequel certainly reaffirms that Cruise can still make box office hits outside of the Mission: Impossible franchise. Nevertheless, the original film narrowly wins this round simply for the fact that it is responsible for birthing Tom Cruise, the movie star.
Winner: Top Gun
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Supporting Cast
Aside from the Cruise factor, the supporting cast for the original Top Gun is downright iconic. From Anthony Edwards’ “Goose” and Val Kilmer’s chiseled features, to Tom Skerritt’s “Viper” and Michael Ironside’s “Viper.” Not to mention Kelly McGillis, who is an '80s sex symbol in her own right. However, the sequel also features an absolutely stacked cast that includes cinematic mainstays such as Ed Harris, John Hamm, and Jennifer Connelly, as well as movie stars in the making like Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, and Lewis Pullman. Hell, the supporting cast of Top Gun: Maverick is so convincing, it even makes one forget what a shithead Miles Teller is.
Winner: Top Gun: Maverick
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Music
Besides the cast, there’s no doubt that the soundtrack for the original Top Gun is as iconic as the movie itself. So iconic, in fact, that whenever most people hear the song “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins, it’s impossible not to immediately think of the film. While the new score by Hans Zimmer and Lorne Balfe is commendable, the truth is that there’s nothing that will top the classic '80s-ness of the original. Even Top Gun: Maverick acknowledges this, revisiting the opening of the original beat-for-beat.
Winner: Top Gun
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Action
Top Gun is mainly considered an action movie, but truthfully speaking, the action in the original movie is just OK. Although some of the visuals are indeed impressive in the 1986 version, the sequel takes things to 11. Not only did they use (mostly) real planes to shoot the action physically, but Cruise did much of the flying himself. Needless to say, Top Gun: Maverick is easily the most impressive action film since another amazing legacy sequel, Mad Max: Fury Road.
Winner: Top Gun: Maverick
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Directing
While Top Gun: Maverick is easily the best film of Joseph Kosinski’s career, the directing is very much transparent. In other words, the movie is very much the Tom Cruise show. This isn’t to say that Kosinski’s work isn’t great (because it is), it's just that he’s very much working in the shadow of the late great Tony Scott. At the end of the day, the Top Gun “style” is so indelible that all one can do is try to expand on it.
Winner: Top Gun
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Love Story
Considering that Maverick is portrayed as a borderline sex pest in the original Top Gun, there isn’t much to say about the romantic complexity of either film in the franchise. Tom Cruise basically wants people to know how good he is at being a romantic, and that’s enough for these types of movies. Although the love story is certainly one of the weaker aspects of the original, Top Gun: Maverick manages to pull off the impossible - actually having a believable love interest for once.
Winner: Top Gun: Maverick
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Shirtless Beach Sports
Despite all the bells and whistles of both Top Gun movies, what’s ultimately most important are the scenes of shirtless beach sports. The beach volleyball scene in the film is yet another iconic aspect of the original. While the scene has become fetishized over the years, it actually shows that these characters are as competitive on the ground as they are in the air. However. Top Gun: Maverick legitimately finds a way to take beach football to a sexy new level, while also justifying it’s existence in the story. Against all odds, the sequel manages to top the original in this respect.
Winner: Top Gun: Maverick
