Top Gun: Maverick

Tom Cruise has barely aged a day since he cemented his movie-star status 36 years ago in Top Gun. Neither, it seems, has the film itself.

From the opening tones of Harold Faltermeyer’s iconic theme song, the crowd-pleasing nostalgia overflows throughout Top Gun: Maverick, a long-delayed sequel slick enough to divert your attention from its transparent attempt to dust off some old intellectual property and revive a box-office cash cow.

Effortlessly sliding back into the cockpit, Cruise infuses the inevitable barrage of macho posturing and adrenaline-fueled set pieces with an underlying poignancy as he explores the emotional vulnerability of a title character coming to terms with his past.

Still, as the film opens, Navy test pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is as brash and rebellious as ever, with his daredevil reputation leading to repeated clashes with authority figures who refuse to promote him.

Neither Maverick nor a vice-admiral (Jon Hamm) are thrilled with his reassignment to Top Gun instructor, but both yield to the recommendation by Iceman (Val Kilmer), Maverick’s ailing former nemesis-turned-wingman who’s now a retired admiral.

Haunted by demons and burdened by a fierce sense of loyalty, he reconnects with an old flame (Jennifer Connelly) but mostly winds up needing to prove himself all over again, especially to a younger generation that now considers him a relic.

His new proteges include Rooster (Miles Teller), whose father Goose was killed in the first film. Residual guilt and anger give their relationship a simmering hostility.

Not surprisingly, Maverick doesn’t exactly follow the syllabus, pushing his ragtag pupils past their mental and physical limits while teaching survival above all else as they prepare for a perilous mission behind enemy lines.

More than its predecessor, this follow-up from director Joseph Kosinski (Oblivion) embraces its cheesiness and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It adheres to a familiar formula rather than attempting to reinvent the concept, grooming some new mini-Mavericks to inherit the continuation of the franchise.

Along the way, the film offers nods to fighter-plane technology, checks the misogyny and innuendo, and promotes more inclusivity, all with a mild salute to military courage and sacrifice. The ridiculously contrived finale is thrilling as long as you set your brain to autopilot.

As Cruise’s career comes full circle, so does that of one of his most memorable characters. Fan service enables Top Gun: Maverick to take flight, but star power causes it to soar.

Rated PG-13, 131 minutes.