Review: 'Top Gun' sequel a welcome trip to the danger zone

Zack Sharf SPOILER ALERT: Do not read unless you have watched “Top Gun: Maverick,” in theaters now. “Top Gun” fans knew ahead of time that Val Kilmer would be reprising his role of Tom “Iceman” Kazansky in the sequel, but the specifics of the actor’s return were a question mark considering Kilmer lost the ability to speak after undergoing throat cancer treatment in 2014.

"Top Gun" star Tom Skerritt is sharing his thoughts on the movie's sequel and reflecting on the original 1986 film.  Skerritt, who starred as Commander Mike "Viper" Metcalf in the original, opened up about what made "Top Gun" iconic during a recent interview with Fox News Digital. "The music had a lot to do with it by the way," he said. "But the screenplay itself, which I've always honored as being the whole reason for a good show, and you just write the work … and do the job you have good material for the rest of us to work with.

Feeling the need for speed! Ever since its debut almost four decades prior, Top Gun has been considered an American classic — and it’s finally getting a sequel.

Glen Powell nearly didn't make the cut for "Top Gun: Maverick." Powell, 33, shared with The Hollywood Reporter that, in July 2018, he got a phone call informing him he didn’t get the role in the film for which he had spent weeks auditioning.  "This one I just took very personally and was just plain sad," he told the outlet. Powell, best known for his role in "Scream Queens," originally auditioned for the role of Rooster, the on-screen son of Goose who was Lt.

WARNING – SPOILERS AHEAD! DO NOT READ IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW!

Cruise is known for doing most of his own stunts. For this film he does them all zipping through the clouds and pulling up to eight Gs — a measure of gravitational force experienced through acceleration — which is comparable to 600 pounds pressing against your body. “So just to put it in perspective, it’s a level of power that most people never get to experience,” LaRosa said.The “Top Gun” star owns his own P-51 Mustang (a World War II fighter jet) which LaRosa said the actor flies “like it’s an extension of himself.” Cruise came onto the set with a love for and understanding of aviation, LaRosa said, and really wanted to inspire that passion in his new co-stars, including Miles Teller, Monica Barbaro and Glen Powell.

Tom Cruise and the creative team behind, there were many factors to consider when it came to developing the long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1986 action flick. From a storyline that brought Cruise's character, Pete «Maverick» Mitchell, back on board with a cast of talented young recruits, to the logistics of filming in real-life fighter jets, the producers and stars pulled out all the stops to create a jaw-dropping follow-up to the high-flying original.Of course, that also meant answering some questions about Maverick's closest relationships from the original film.

Top Gun: Maverick (★★★☆☆).The folks in the high-flying sequel might as well be throwing their barbs at Maverick star Tom Cruise, who proved himself a box office draw 36 years ago with the phenomenal success of Top Gun, the film that cemented his brash onscreen persona.The courageous, grinning, gunning Little Engine that will always out-hustle his competition no longer radiates that same insatiable hunger. But Cruise — and Maverick — still move like men with something left to prove.Introduced living in an old Navy air hangar somewhere in the Mojave, Pete Mitchell is still a maverick after all these years, still forgoing a helmet while speeding around on his motorcycle, still ranked captain despite decades in service, and still risking his life for Navy and country as a test pilot for a Mach 9 program.

Top Gun who was a rival to Tom Cruise’s “Maverick. " While its sequel Top Gun: Maverick has the return of Tom Cruise, a Top Gun movie would be nothing without “Iceman. ” After begging for a role in Top Gun: Maverick, Val Kilmer's wish came true.

Top Gun is launching some branded clothing in time for the sequel's release. With Top Gun: Maverick now taking flight, the iconic fashions worn by Tom Cruise have inspired some tees that will spruce up any wardrobe. Unisex options and customisable sizes are available on Lost Universe for the Top Gun logo Navy T-shirt, which is on sale for £15 or a two-for £25 limited time offer if you need a few new fashion options.

Top Gun: Maverick is undeniably more inclusive than the original film and cast member Jay Ellis said it was refreshing to see others who ‘looked like me’ working alongside him on the blockbuster.  Tom Cruise is crashing back onto the big screen this summer with the long-awaited sequel to 1986’s classic action adventure finally arriving in cinemas this Wednesday.  It sees him reprise his iconic role as Navy aviator Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell, who is drawn back to the titular fighter tactic school to train up a new set of graduates for a special assignment.

Tom Cruise set out to make the follow-up film to his beloved 1986 hit,  he knew the success of the story would hinge on not only the storyline and motivations of his character, Pete «Maverick» Mitchell, but in the squadron of young, up-and-coming Navy pilots Maverick is tasked with leading through their near-impossible mission.«We had to find not only the actors that are correct for the roles, or just a great cast, which we have in there — each one of them are extraordinary, charismatic, each one very distinct,» Cruise said in an exclusive ET featurette from the set of the film. «We also, prior to [filming], I had to go look.

Tom Cruise had a special lady in attendance at the U.K. premiere of . On Thursday, Hayley Atwell, 40, attended the event, which was held at London's Leicester Square.Atwell, who's set to co-star alongside Cruise in the 2023 flick, , stunned in an all-black look, which featured a long sleeve crop top and a maxi skirt with a thigh-high slit.Meanwhile, 59-year-old Cruise, who was photographed greeting Prince William and Kate Middleton at the premiere, looked dapper in a classic tuxedo and bow tie.  Along with being co-stars, Cruise and Atwell, who attended Wimbledon together last July, are rumored to have dated.

Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Connelly gather up for a giant group photo at the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick during the 2022 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday (May 18) in Cannes, France.

Tom Cruise as Pete «Maverick» Mitchell and features a special return from Val Kilmer as now-Admiral Tom «Iceman» Kazansky -- doesn't feature any appearances from the female stars of the 1986 original: Kelly McGillis and Meg Ryan.Ryan's character, Carole, the wife of Maverick's late wingman and best friend Nick «Goose» Bradshaw (played by Anthony Edwards) and mother to Miles Teller's Bradley «Rooster» Bradshaw, is referenced in the sequel and seen in flashback scenes. However, there isn't even a mention of McGillis' Charlie Blackwood, a Top Gun instructor and Maverick's love interested in the original.«Those weren't stories that we were throwing around,» Maverick director Joseph Kosinski told Insider of the actresses' absences.

Early on in "Top Gun: Maverick," Tom Cruise hops on his sleek motorcycle, wearing Aviator sunglasses and a leather jacket with patches, and speeds into a time machine. No, that's not right. It's actually us who take a trip back.

Now, that’s how you do an 1980s film sequel.Walking into “Top Gun: Maverick,” starring Tom Cruise, viewers violently shake with nervousness that they might witness a nightmarish repeat of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” — all their favorite ‘80s stars and characters reunited after decades, wasted, embarrassed and chasing after aliens.Then the movie starts. All it takes is the opening scene of Cruise as Maverick pushing a plane’s limits to a daunting Mach 10 while “Highway to the Danger Zone” plays to realize that this is a worthy, often exemplary followup to the 1986 classic.