The first reviews forTop Gun: Maverickare in — and they’re overwhelmingly positive.
Tom Cruisemakes a triumphant return as Capt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in the long-awaited follow-up to 1986’sTop Gun, and critics are praising his performance in the “barrier-breaking sequel,” asVariety’s Peter Debruge writes in his review.
But according to Debruge,Maverickdoesn’t rely on being “TheTom CruiseShow,” and instead involves “perfectly coordinated teamwork among six pilots, recalling the group air battle that bonded Iceman (Val Kilmer) and Maverick in the original movie.”
IGN’s Matt Donato calls the movie “theTop Gunsequel purists will crave,” praising it as “an out-of-bounds blast of afterburner fumes and thrill-seeker highs that’s sure to please audiences looking for a classic summer blockbuster.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Tom Cruise inTop Gun: Maverick(2022).Paramount Pictures
RELATED GALLERY:Top Gun: MaverickWorld Premiere Photos
“IfMaverickcan’t quite matchMission: Impossible — Falloutfor sheer kineticism and well-orchestrated awe, this long-delayed sequel does more to clarify what that means than anything Cruise has ever made,” writes David Ehrlich forIndieWire, giving the film an A- grade. “And the reason for that is simple:Tom Cruiseis Maverick, and Maverick isTom Cruise.”
For more onTop Gun: Maverick, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.
In Ross Bonaime’s review forCollider, he givesMaverickan A grade and says the action flick “is the rare case where it absolutely deserves all the massive praise,” and “improves upon the original in every conceivable way.”
Tom Cruise inTop Gun: Maverick(2022).Scott Garfield/Paramount
“McGillis has evidently not been invited back and her character is never mentioned,” Bradshaw adds. “The unmarried Maverick’s love interest this time around is a nice woman who runs the local bar, an entirely thankless part forJennifer Connelly.”
RELATED VIDEO:Tom CruiseArrives at World Premiere ofTop Gun: Maverickin a Helicopter He Piloted
Thenew film finds Maverickthree decades after his graduation from the TOPGUN Naval aviation program, when he is called back as an instructor for the elite fliers. Among his young charges is Lt. Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, the son of his late best friend, Goose (Anthony Edwardsin the first movie).Miles Teller, who plays Rooster, was among the actors cast as new class of pilots. Also joining wereGlen Powell,Greg Tarzan DavisandLewis Pullman.
Aside from the hands-on skills required for the film, Cruise, 59, still had more to share with his co-stars, when the training was over and the cameras turned off.
“There were times after we were wrapped for the day, we would spend an hour circled around him, listening to the stories that he’s been through,” Davis, 28, tells PEOPLE in a newall-Top Gunspecial edition.
Adds Pullman, 29, “Every one of the pilots has a story of him talking about what he thinks is great about them, what they can do with that quality. He teaches you, basically, howTom CruisebecameTom Cruise.”
Top Gun: Maverickflies into theaters May 27.
source: people.com
