Top Gun: Maverick

Directed by Joseph Kosinski - 4/10

Above all else, Top Gun: Maverick is an American propaganda film in the most literal sense possible: the United States Department of Defense has published a document titled “Pentagon Production Assistance Agreement,” detailing the extensive support and military resources that were made available to Paramount Pictures in the making of this movie. The first point on the agenda reads, “Assign a senior staff, post command Officer to review with public affairs the script’s thematics and weave in key talking points relevant to the aviation community.” 

The rest of the document details the tens of thousands of dollars that the Pentagon funneled into the film and their efforts to depict the action scenes as accurately as possible. The original Top Gun was famously one of the most effective military recruitment projects, increasing enlistment by 500% (the Navy even located recruiting stations directly outside movie theaters). Maverick does nothing to hide its identical intentions - when viewing the film in theaters, each showing begins with an introductory thank-you from Tom Cruise, acknowledging viewers for showing up in theaters and reminding each audience member about how authentic the action scenes are: “There’s real F-18s, real Gs, and real speed…” he says, assuring audiences about the fact that every exciting moment on screen was exemplative of the real-world adventures of the US military.

Because of the film’s propagandized nature, the diegetic mission displayed in Top Gun: Maverick is one with no explicit enemy. The terrain they operate on feels vaguely Russian, but, given the context, the enemies are heavily implied to be Iranian. The mission that Maverick (played by Tom Cruise) and his fellow pilots set out on is one that destroys an illegally established uranium nuclear facility. This mission is seemingly meant to mirror the real-life Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal. What goes unexplained in the film is that Maverick’s actions are unconstitutional and illegal under international law, effectively a declaration of war on a major foreign power. Yet, they are depicted as entirely selfless and heroic - the enemies are the only ones who are violating international law. 

Perhaps the most painful moment in the film is one in which the Top Gun recruits discuss who is to blame for a failed training run, and the instructors continuously remind them that these technical details will not matter to the families of the troops if they die in action. However, these assertions are not extended to the numerous enemy and collateral lives taken during the mission - we never get to consider if they may have families, children, or lives of value. In fact, these unidentified enemies are granted no humanity at all - their faces are entirely covered, they do not speak, and they do not exist other than to be eliminated. 

Identifying the film as a manipulative piece of political propaganda feels like a vital part of the discussion, but I don’t wish it to be the only lens through which I view the film. Beyond the crucial context in which the story is told lie technical and narrative ideas that deserve discussion.

Top Gun: Maverick has received considerable critical acclaim, especially in comparison to the original film (I have not seen Top Gun in its entirety, which some might think disqualifies me from criticizing either of these movies, but here we are). What I do know about the original film is that it was incredibly effective recruitment propaganda and that it is perhaps the most famous example of the “subtextual” homoeroticism that became increasingly popular in films of the era. As previously discussed, Maverick leans heavily into the first of these two features but not so much the second. There are a few nods to it here and there, but it seems pretty clear that Maverick doesn’t exactly want to embrace those aspects as a part of its propaganda campaign. 

In order to draw maximum viewers to the theatre, Maverick’s advertising campaign overtly drove home the fact that you could be completely unacquainted with the original film and still enjoy the sequel. While some parts of the story rely on prior knowledge of the characters, the movie does a fair job of guiding unfamiliar viewers through the backstory in a way that teeters on un-immersive, functionally shouting at the viewers. When shouting does not work, montages of moments from the original Top Gun are interspersed between shots of Tom Cruise gazing wistfully and nostalgically. This hand-holding of the viewer through the parts of the film that require even the tiniest bit of critical thinking feels condescending, but Maverick is rife with plenty of nostalgia for those who lived through the original era, most notably in the music department (Kenny Loggins, David Bowie, T. Rex, The Who, etc.). 

The dialogue and screenplay additionally go a bit overboard when riffing on the original film, definitely playing up the cheesiness of action movies of the time. However, this self-awareness about the obnoxiousness of this writing doesn’t make watching it any less irritating. Fortunately, this effect mostly fades away by the end of the second act to make room for a purely action-based finale. 

The action scenes are the draw and the film's high point in terms of entertainment value. The previously-mentioned government-approved action does precisely what it is supposed to do - even with my skepticism about the movie's goals, I was swept away by the impressive effects, direction, and editing used to construct the scenes. Maverick rarely contains a dull moment, and those that do exist are few and far between. Though the whole film revolves around completing one mission, tons of minor conflicts are constantly introduced during the training and execution of this operation. They are resolved quickly enough never to distract the viewer and are almost always immediately replaced by another life-threatening circumstance, which is soon resolved and replaced with another. Solid cinematography and genius sound design, paired with swift pacing, make the film fly through its runtime while remaining thoroughly entertaining.

When leaving the theatre after seeing Top Gun: Maverick, you are still energized and hypnotized by the incredible technical skill that went into crafting something as exciting as this film. But, as more time passes and the adrenaline wears off, you realize how despicable the movie actually is. 

Top Gun: Maverick was released in the US on May 24 and is currently in theaters.