Top Gun: Maverick

Talk about a serious case of nostalgia. This is probably one of the only films I've watched that has made me feel like I was a kid again, looking up to Maverick, wanting to be him. This film, in my books anyway, is probably one of the best I've seen in a long time -- certainly a military one anyway.

And I say that because I absolutely loved, no adored, top gun in the 1980's. Picture me, a young boy, proud of his country, eager to protect his little plot of land, this at 16 would have had me heading feet first straight for the air force. Such a masterful remake.

But anyway. I guess the key phrase here is nostalgia. Perhaps the younger people of today might have not enjoyed this film as much as I did, mainly because of the popularity it had when I was a kid, and ideas of military conquest have changed somewhat today. Even by my standards.

Of course there were a lot of plot holes in this film that kind of got in the way of the story. For example, who in the hell were they fighting? All throughout the film the enemy was just a generic "the enemy" we never knew who they were up against or the stakes or the cost they were fighting for. If say we were fighting against Russia or China, or some small nation state - I think that would have changed the feel of the film more considerably and added more depth to the story telling.

But that aside the plane scenes and the CGI in this was absolutely incredible. I will say that the downsides of of this film are far outweighed by the amazing visuals, the death defying stunts, and the fast paced flight scenes..

.. and OMG the nostalgia...

Who didn't want to be a Pilot after this huh? Or at least have some strong memories of watching this in your childhood.

Despite being a military industrial complex recruitment drive, which this film did feel a bit like, I still enjoyed it immensely, and it was quite a bit different this time. This didn't seem like a continuation of a series, but more so a birds eye view of Mavericks life.

In the first film Maverick was a young, hot headed elite pilot who wasn't the best at following orders. And, whilst he still isn't the best at following orders in this film he most certainly is more calm, mature and sensible. He's turned into a responsible adult -- which I guess the previously young audience can appreciate because we've all had to mature a lot since then too.

The main difference with this is that they needed a pilot who didn't follow conventional tactics to outsmart and outpace the enemy. Maverick is known for his unconventional approaches and doesn't necessarily do things by the book -- especially when he irritates his superiors when telling them the plan to fight, "the enemy."

That being said he's able to turn a bunch of kids, top of their flying class, who are a bit of a rag tag bunch known for their competitiveness with each other into a fully fledged fighting team with each other's back.

An absolutely incredible watch. A must see!