Film Illiterate, wherein the proprietor records movies seen, and sporadic progress through assorted lists of the "best". Originally started after regretfully renting something forgettable for the third time. I've forgotten what, but never again! A tedious endeavour since 2005. Hello. 🙂
The legacy sequel to classic airforce bromance Top Gun sees "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) return to the naval academy to train hotshot pilots to take down a military base belonging to a mysterious, unnamed enemy flying Su-57 jets exclusively used by the Russian airforce -- wonder who it could possibly be.
This is an embarrassing middle-aged fantasy about an aging Tom Cruise out-thinking and outflying the young whippersnappers on his lawn; it works because the air combat scenes are some of the best ever put on screen. Maverick is a true, throwback blockbuster. The emotional core is Maverick's relationship with "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller), son of the original film's "Goose", whose relationship with arrogant douchenozzle "Hangman" (Glen Powell) parallels the Maverick/Iceman rivalry. This reaches its melodramatic height when it appears that Maverick has sacrificed himself; sadly, in an entirely expected twist, not only does he survive but takes out a couple of enemy planes in an old Sopwith Camel he finds in a barn -- back to embarrassing middle-aged fantasy again.