On Tuesday, Paramount unveiled the final trailer for the highly anticipated (and oft-delayed) Top Gun: Maverick. While the jury’s still out on how younger audiences will feel about a fighter pilot movie starring Tom Cruise, Gen-Xers like myself are sure to feel a nostalgic chill upon hearing Hans Zimmer’s enhanced version of Harold Faltermeyers beloved anthem.
Let’s watch the trailer before diving into things.
We’re first treated to a collection of predictable story beats. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is recommended by his old rival, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), to train a group of hotshot pilots. As expected, Maverick puts everyone on edge via his erratic reputation. His superiors’ concerns are quickly proven to be warranted when he nearly pops two of his recruits out of the sky.
Everything looks very cool/dramatic, but not particularly special…until Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller) shows up looking eerily like his father, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw. If you grew up watching a lot of movies in the ’80s and ’90s, then Goose’s death ranks right up there with Artax drowning in the Swamp of Sadness for childhood heartbreak/trauma.
As you might imagine, Brad isn’t exactly thrilled to be under Maverick’s command.
Top Gun: Maverick
We finish things out with a voiceover from Maverick’s new love interest (played by Jennifer Connelly) as he and the recruits are sent into the inevitable live combat situation. There’s some incredible aerial combat sequences interspersed plenty of human drama–one of the most underrated aspects that made the original Top Gun such a classic.
Oh, and a final shot of Maverick nearly killing one of his students in the coolest way possible.
Top Gun: Maverick is set to hit theaters on May 27, 2022.
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