Based on the scores, I was expecting a much better film. But I now get it., its the nostalgia for the first film that fuels the scores for this film.
Here is my take and why I think its an "okay" film, just not a great one. There really isn't a whole lot of meat and potatoes to this story. It's largely a copy pasta in large chunks from the older film but with newer, younger faces. Maverick is charged with training a squadron of top gun fighter pilots to destroy an enemy uranium enrichment plant that is about to come online and operational. But it seems the producers want to maximize the profits for this film and not offend anyone in the real world. So this enemy doesn't have a name or a geographical location. The enemy has 5th generation fighter jets and some James Bond evil villian sized SAM batteries around the mountain's summit. It is a snow covered terrain so that rules out many enemies in warmer climates.
Then there is the lone aircraft carrier delivering these jet fighters to the enemies doorstep. Well, by now most people know that wouldn't be the case. Carriers are heavily guarded and their presence would trigger the attention of any adversary. No way could four F18 sneak in under radar to blow up this plant unless we accept the enemy isn't aware of a huge freakin carrier of their shores. So there is nothing resembling a realistic scenario and that kept me from enjoying the story too much.
The romantic relationship in the film has no chemistry. I just didn't feel any chemistry between Penny and Maverick. That's a first because you do have two very good looking actors and I always thought Tom Cruise to be great action actor. So no chemistry between Cruise and Jennifer Connelly is a bitter pill to swallow.
What I did like about it was the cinematography and some of the action sequences with the dog fighting. But I didn't think the dog fighting were any better than the original film. In fact, the original film might have had better scenes. This film just has a lot of choppy editing to imply action.
I think its a 6/10, but not a chance it's a 9/10. Maybe if they added a Tom Clancy inspired screenplay to the film I might have given it a 9. Maybe a team of seals to do recon before having the jets engage and with the aircraft carrier companied by a battlegroup flotilla. Aircraft Carriers just don't end up secretly off the shore of adversarial country completely alone, not in the real world.
Here is my take and why I think its an "okay" film, just not a great one. There really isn't a whole lot of meat and potatoes to this story. It's largely a copy pasta in large chunks from the older film but with newer, younger faces. Maverick is charged with training a squadron of top gun fighter pilots to destroy an enemy uranium enrichment plant that is about to come online and operational. But it seems the producers want to maximize the profits for this film and not offend anyone in the real world. So this enemy doesn't have a name or a geographical location. The enemy has 5th generation fighter jets and some James Bond evil villian sized SAM batteries around the mountain's summit. It is a snow covered terrain so that rules out many enemies in warmer climates.
Then there is the lone aircraft carrier delivering these jet fighters to the enemies doorstep. Well, by now most people know that wouldn't be the case. Carriers are heavily guarded and their presence would trigger the attention of any adversary. No way could four F18 sneak in under radar to blow up this plant unless we accept the enemy isn't aware of a huge freakin carrier of their shores. So there is nothing resembling a realistic scenario and that kept me from enjoying the story too much.
The romantic relationship in the film has no chemistry. I just didn't feel any chemistry between Penny and Maverick. That's a first because you do have two very good looking actors and I always thought Tom Cruise to be great action actor. So no chemistry between Cruise and Jennifer Connelly is a bitter pill to swallow.
What I did like about it was the cinematography and some of the action sequences with the dog fighting. But I didn't think the dog fighting were any better than the original film. In fact, the original film might have had better scenes. This film just has a lot of choppy editing to imply action.
I think its a 6/10, but not a chance it's a 9/10. Maybe if they added a Tom Clancy inspired screenplay to the film I might have given it a 9. Maybe a team of seals to do recon before having the jets engage and with the aircraft carrier companied by a battlegroup flotilla. Aircraft Carriers just don't end up secretly off the shore of adversarial country completely alone, not in the real world.