Top Gun: Maverick is a follow-up 36 years in the making, being one of the most-hyped sequels of all time, but is it better than the original film? Top Gun was released in 1986, directed by Tony Scott and starring a young Tom Cruise, becoming a global phenomenon that stands as a modern classic. The film's soundtrack, performances, characters, oft-quoted lines, and aerial action sequences inspired generations of filmgoers to keep going back to the Top Gun well, even as a sequel failed to come to fruition for decades.
Director Joseph Kosinski took up the reins for the long-awaited sequel, which sat on the shelf for two years due to the pandemic, but now audiences are finally able to get back in the cockpit with Cruise. Reviews for Top Gun: Maverick thus far have been exceptionally positive with lifelong fans and newcomers alike finding the film to be worth the wait and an exciting cinematic experience. While not as rock n' roll and stylistic as Scott's original, Top Gun: Maverick finds its footing in character and technical feats that mirror much of what the first film accomplished, taking it a step further by having all the key actors suit and fly in the actual F-18 Hornet jet planes for the film, making for a more immersive and awe-inspiring spectacle.
Tom Cruise has been praised for portraying Maverick as an older, wiser, yet still cocky pilot, who is now faced with the difficult task of training the next generation of fighter pilots, as he struggles to remain one. As his career is coming to a close, Maverick must contend with his haunted past, as well as his uncertain future, which is a very different journey than the one he took in the first film. Still, Top Gun: Maverick finds a way to pay homage to the original film in a number of ways that pay off the 36-year journey to the big screen, making it a well-rounded and emotional film that's built upon the original's foundation. The question will arise as to whether Top Gun: Maverick is better than the original, so here are the differences, similarities, and comparisons of each film.
Why Top Gun: Maverick Is So Different From Top Gun
A 36-year difference is going to create some major changes in any sequel, but for Top Gun: Maverick there are massive shifts, not only in characters, but in settings, aircraft, military conflicts, and generational changes that go beyond a few standard upgrades. Beyond the technical areas, with new aircraft used by the U.S. Navy, including 5th generation fighters, as well as stealth technology and the advent of drone warfare, Tom Cruise's Maverick finds himself at the tail-end of a dying breed. That wasn't the case in the first film, which took place at the height of the Cold War. Maverick is now closing in on retirement, as all of his peers have moved on, including Iceman, who forces Maverick to confront not only his career, but also his mortality. The tonal shift, with Maverick conflicted about what to do with his life once his career ends, is a stark contrast to the original Top Gun, which focused on how Maverick's career began.
Tom Cruise's Performance In Maverick vs. Top Gun
The original Top Gun was only Cruise's fourth major leading role, having starred in Risky Business, All The Right Moves, and Legend before getting enlisted for the role that would change his career forever. Up to that point, Cruise had shown promise but wasn't quite the leading man he developed into over decades of work. That said, Top Gun allowed Cruise to show his cocky charm and emotional intensity that would later develop into something far greater throughout his career. In Top Gun: Maverick the character still has his devilish charm and rebellious spirit, but he's an older, more seasoned character with humility and reluctance that didn't exist before. In that way, Top Gun: Maverick displays Cruise at a more refined and mature level of acting versus his raw and hot-blooded performance of the original.
Top Gun 2's Other Characters & Pilots vs. Top Gun
The cast of 1986's Top Gun was full of veterans and up-and-comers alike, positioning '80s heartthrobs like Cruise and Val Kilmer against more seasoned stars like Tom Skerritt and Michael Ironside, with an older love interest in the form of Kelly McGillis. The supporting cast included the likes of Anthony Edwards, Rick Rossovich, Meg Ryan, and Tim Robbins, making for a who's who of actors that would pop up for decades to come. Top Gun: Maverick has a similar setup, with a batch of young rising stars including Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Monica Barbaro, Lewis Pullman, Jay Ellis, and Danny Ramirez, and veteran actors like Ed Harris, Jon Hamm, and Charles Parnell providing gravitas, with Jennifer Connelly stepping into the love interest role. Cruise's Maverick, in turn, essentially changes sides to the seasoned actors in Top Gun: Maverick in a torch-passing kind of fashion, that feels natural given the time that's passed between films.
Top Gun 2's Action & Flying Scenes vs. Top Gun
Director Tony Scott revolutionized the way aerial photography was done with the flying scenes in 1986's Top Gun, working with the U.S. Navy to film real planes doing real stunts, rather than attempting to do it with camera tricks, models, and CGI. The result was unlike anything that was ever seen before, filmed and edited in Scott's rock n' roll style that emphasized fast cuts, fast action, and a rigorous sound design that gave the film powerful energy. Director Joseph Kosinski takes a similar approach with Top Gun: Maverick, working closely with the U.S. Navy to film as much as possible with the actual actors in the actual planes. The result is a technical marvel that's methodical and slick, although not quite as bombastic as Scott's film. Both films are effective in the action department, but the style varies to a large degree. The original Top Gun has the kinetic edge, while Top Gun: Maverick has the high-tech edge, making for two distinct, yet reciprocal movies cut from the same cloth.
Top Gun: Maverick's Soundtrack vs. Top Gun
Propelled by Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone," Berlin's "Take My Breath Away," which won the Oscar for Best Song, and the iconic Top Gun theme by composer Harold Faltermeyer, the soundtrack to the original is near impossible to beat. It also featured a number of hits used throughout the film, including Larry Greene's "Through The Fire" and Cheap Trick's "Mighty Wings," making for a soundtrack that not only complemented the movie but captured the zeitgeist of the era. Top Gun: Maverick isn't quite as ambitious in the song department, featuring only two new songs, including Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" and OneRepublic's "I Ain't Worried." The score takes up more of Top Gun: Maverick's music department, which has original composer Harold Faltermeyer teamed up with veteran composer Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe, and Gaga, who also assisted. It's not quite the powerhouse of hits that Top Gun is, but it's also a bit more of a grown-up film, both in style and tone, so it makes sense that it wouldn't be riddled with a laundry list of big-name artists, even if that's exactly what helped make the original so memorable.
Is Top Gun: Maverick Better Than Top Gun?
Top Gun: Maverick is that rare sequel that delivers on the promise of the original, while taking it in new directions that befit the natural progression of the story and characters set forth in the original Top Gun. On a technical level, Top Gun: Maverick goes the extra mile in showing the actors performing inside the aircraft for some exhilarating technical sequences and pulls some real emotional heft as Maverick confronts the future and his own mortality. However, even as much as Top Gun: Maverick pushes the limits and delivers on being an outstanding sequel, there's simply no substitute for the original. Late director Tony Scott's visual punch and dynamic style is still unmatched by any other filmmaker in the genre, particularly of that era, and the soundtrack goes far beyond what Top Gun: Maverick even attempts to reach. The characters of the original film are also more memorable than the new cast of the sequel, who are likeable enough, but not quite the personalities of their predecessors. Top Gun is a classic for a reason and although Top Gun: Maverick is an amazing cinematic achievement, it's more of a love letter to the original than a genre-defying sequel, giving the first film the edge when it comes to choosing the better of the two, even if both are outstanding films.
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