The wait for Top Gun: Maverick is nearly over and with it, ends a 36-year wait for a sequel. The film hits theaters on May 27, and after so long, it’s only natural to wonder how it’s faring with critics.
Top Gun: Maverick is directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie. The film’s cast includes Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer.
As of this writing, the Top Gun sequel has an aggregate score of 81 on Metacritic, based on 34 critic reviews. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a much higher 100% based on 44 reviews. These scores will likely shift as other outlets publish their takes, but based on the reviews already floating out there, if you’re even slightly curious about this film you are clear for takeoff.
Below, you’ll see a selection of the many reviews of Top Gun: Maverick that have already been published. This includes GameSpot’s own review.
Top Gun: Maverick
- Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
- Written by: Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie
- Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, Ed Harris, and Val Kilmer
- Premiere Date: May 27
GameSpot – 9/10
“Ultimately, what Top Gun: Maverick has been able to pull off seemed impossible. Following up on a beloved movie over three decades later is a difficult task. Delivering a sequel that should be able to stand the test of time just as much as the original is a true feat.” – Chris E. Hayner – [Full review]
Rogerebert.com – 4/4
“As the jets cut through the atmosphere and brush their target soils in close-shave movements–all coherently edited by Eddie Hamilton–the sensation they generate feels miraculous and worthy of the biggest screen one can possibly find. Equally worthy of that big screen is the emotional strokes of Maverick that pack an unexpected punch.” – Tomris Laffly – [Full review]
BBC – 5/5
“The new film improves on the old one in every respect. The story is cleverer and more gripping, the dialogue is sharper and funnier, the relationships are richer, the aerial stunts are more likely to make you queasy.” – Nicholas Barber – [Full review]
Rolling Stone – No score
“It’s a fresh-faced gloss on the original, in other words, powered, like the original, by a star who’ll simply never stop being a star. The big mission makes for the most exciting moment; the build-up is worthwhile. – K. Austin Collins – [Full review]
The Jewish Chronicle – 5/5
“In short, Top Gun: Maverick is the most fun I’ve had watching a big dumb Hollywood blockbuster for a while. It is a film that not only understands what is truly expected from it, but it also never shies away from paying homage to its own mythology throughout.” – Linda Marric – [Full review]
The Guardian – 3/5
“There’s plenty of rock’n’roll fighter-pilot action in this movie, but weirdly none of the homoerotic tension that back in the day had guys queueing up at the Navy recruitment booths set up in cinema foyers.” – Peter Bradshaw – [Full review]
Los Angeles Times – No score
“Jets still scream and muscles still gleam in the ridiculous and often ridiculously entertaining Top Gun: Maverick, though in several respects, the movie evinces–and rewards–an unusual investment of brainpower. I’d go further and say that it offers its own decisive reversal of Maverick’s dubious logic: It has plenty on its mind, and it’s gloriously alive.” – Justin Chang – [Full review]
