Top Gun: Maverick: Justifying Legacy Sequels
Nostalgia is a tricky concept. In modern entertainment it’s become the second most valuable commodity, behind superheroes. Studios, especially the ones without any Superhero IP, are searching for anything that’s had some level of popularity to build a franchise around. This has led to some surprising remakes, but it’s created an unpredictable market. What will and won’t work is more random than ever. That’s because fans' response to nostalgia is unpredictable. Top Gun: Maverick is the latest nostalgia trap to hit theaters. While undeniably great, by any metric, Maverick is the perfect example of this unpredictability. A prime candidate for the popular Twitter question, “who asked for this?”. This sequel felt unnecessary, prior to its release. Now, after a record breaking box office and incredible reviews, it’s now a justification for more legacy sequels.
The secret sauce that is driving the success of Maverick can be attributed to many things. What’s compelling about Maverick, and particularly the success of it, is that this is a film that feels of another time. The nostalgia that drives it isn’t because of Mav or any of the other characters or plots. It’s nostalgia for a time period and style of film that is gone. Its simple plot, mostly practical action and standard character arcs are a throwback to a type of blockbuster that doesn’t really exist anymore. This is also true for one of its major themes. Maverick is a modern ode to the American military and American patriotism, which is even more rare in entertainment. All of which makes Top Gun: Maverick a unique nostalgia trap. Instead of reminding us of a time we once loved, it just became it.
Right now, the modern blockbuster is a messy landscape. With studios so desperate for viewers, the movies have become less and less creative. Instead of creating the taste of audiences, they are chasing. Which now makes these movies more about showing audiences something they know they like and then trying to build a universe around it. It’s not working, because more often than not we are getting overstuffed, messy films with empty promises. Top Gun: Maverick does mostly the opposite of this. While certainly pulling on nostalgic heartstrings, Maverick strips down instead of adding. It’s a sleek film (even at 2 hours and 10 minutes), with clear characters, motivations and stakes. Doing this allows for the film to breathe and most importantly, be fun.
Fun should be the mark of a blockbuster. Fun is very difficult to have when something is convoluted. This is where Maverick feels so different, its simplicity gives space for fun and thus this is one of the most fun movies of the last several years. Another big aide to the fun is the action. The Tom Cruise effect is certainly present. Mostly practical effects raise the intensity because you can feel the action. Not merely a simple cliché in this case, there is a noticeable difference that is felt mostly in how intense it all feels. All of this feels like an ode to the action movies of the 80s and 90s, including this film’s predecessor. There is an acknowledgment, love and appreciation for that style of filmmaking that is replicated here.
Overstuffed and convoluted is another way to describe the thematic elements of modern blockbusters, which is another differentiator with Top Gun: Maverick. The desire to have a film mean so much more and captivate an audience is clear. A surprising element that Maverick represents, which is absent from most of modern entertainment, is patriotism. For good reason, our country has been going through a bit of a cultural reckoning, in terms of patriotism. What was once an expression of one’s love for their country, has become much more complicated. It’s not a bad thing to reckon with America’s history and everything that comes with that, but a little patriotism isn’t all that bad either. Top Gun: Maverick, captures that with subtlety, allowing it to be something you notice and accept, as opposed to a theme.
Maverick is also a reminder, and celebration, of how great the American military can be. This is often expressed in platitudes that come off as more of an attack, than an expression of gratitude. Maverick navigates that by merely showing us the excellence of the military. Making the enemy unknown and the mission understandable helps. It all functions as a reminder of the good work they can do. While we can easily slip into an exceptionalism that is uncomfortable considering our history, admiration for the great things we do is necessary. Rooting for these characters to succeed in their mission and admiring their greatness, not only feels right, it’s uncomplicated. That felt like a throwback to a simpler time and that is a nice feeling to have. The United States is a great country that offers us so much. It’s nice to celebrate that.
Top Gun: Maverick is an incredible movie. It checks all the boxes of what a summer blockbuster should be. A tremendous theater experience, easy to rewatch, fun, exciting and very well made. Its success is inspiring a lot of conversations about movies, blockbusters and Tom Cruise, all of which are good. There is no doubt more legacy sequels will come and Maverick, unfortunately, will be the inspiration for those decisions. I hope the lesson for everyone is that an uncomplicated and well made blockbuster has a place. There is nothing wrong with universes, sequels and remakes, but it’s also nice to have an easy to watch movie that is clearly only there to entertain.
