‘Top Gun: Maverick’: Early reviews are enthusiastic. “Better than the original”

‘Top Gun: Maverick‘ was screened for the first time in public at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and the reception could not have been more enthusiastic. American journalists and critics present at the screening are praising the sequel starring Tom Cruise calling it “the perfect blockbuster”, “excellent in every conceivable way“, stating that it is”better than the original in almost every aspect” and several of them even mention the possibility of Oscar nominations for Best Picture.

The president of Paramount Pictures, brian robbinsintroduced the screening of the film saying that the star Tom Cruise has earned his reputation as the most courageous and daring actor in Hollywood. Cruise did not attend, but sent a pre-recorded video telling the audience: “Please enjoy and let’s try to have a great summer!”

Tom Cruise reprises his role as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who is now in charge of training a group of young graduates played by, among others, Miles Teller and Glen Powell. Teller plays Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw, a trainee pilot who is the son of Maverick’s late best friend, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. They also star in the movie Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmerreprising his role as Tom “Iceman” Kazansky from the original film.

Paramount will world premiere ‘Top Gun. Maverick” on May 27 after passing through the Cannes Film Festival.

These are the first reactions to the film:

Erick Davis (Fandango and RottenTomatoes): “One word: Wow! #TopGunMaverick is absolutely fantastic in every way imaginable. The action and flight is incredibly intense and continually changing and evolving. You’re on the edge of your seat. I wasn’t prepared for how emotional it was, too. The crowd cheered a dozen times. Folks, believe me when I say this is a legitimately GREAT movie. Whatever your plans are for Memorial Day weekend, make #TopGunMaverick a part of them. I think I cried the whole damn movie because I’m an idiot. Loved the cast, and it’s another classic @TomCruise performance.”

Jeff Sneider (The Ankler): “TOP GUN: MAVERICK it’s the perfect blockbuster. Not only did it feature stunning aerial combat sequences, but I also cried, it’s that emotional. And call me crazy, but I humbly predict that it will get a Best Picture nomination next year. It’s very good.”

Scott Menzel (We Live Entertainment): “Top Gun Maverick is going to blow fans of the original away and may even make some new fans along the way. To tell you the truth, even though the plot heavily relies on the original, I found that The movie is better than this one in almost every way.”

Barry Hertz (Globe and Mail): “#TopGunMaverick nails it. Huge, emotional, noisy Hollywood cinema at its most rah-rah ridiculousness. Shirtless beach soccer, Kenny Loggins, Val Kilmer, last 30 minutes of pure action. Also an extremely interesting geopolitical angle I’ll have to address later… The crowd yells ‘put it back on!’ after the credits end #TopGunMaverick . I can’t say that I would object. Watch this on the BIGGEST fucking screen with the BEST sound system you can find. Good for Tom Cruise for continuing to be a nut.”

Drew Taylor (The Wrap): “#TopGunMaverick is a deep cinematic experience and easily the best movie of the year. What Kosinski, @chrismcquarrie, @eddiehamilton and of course @TomCruise have accomplished is epic and intimate, heartbreaking and exciting. As good as you think it will be, it is better.”

Steven Wintraub (Collider): “#TopGunMaverick . Amazed by the photography and flight scenes and of course the performance by @TomCruise . The rest of the cast were great with special mentions to @Miles_Teller and @glenpowell. This is the kind of movie you want to see on the biggest screen possible.”