---
title: "Top Gun: Maverick"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/top-gun-maverick"
fi1m_id: "top-gun-maverick"
imdb_id: "tt1745960"
tmdb_id: 361743
wikidata_id: "Q31202708"
fi1m_score: 80
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 21
published: "2026-09-28"
updated: "2026-09-28T01:12:05.574506+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

Directed by Joseph Kosinski · 2h 11m · MPA PG-13 · Action, Drama

## Identity

Top Gun: Maverick

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/top-gun-maverick
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** top-gun-maverick
- **IMDb ID:** tt1745960
- **TMDB ID:** 361743
- **Wikidata ID:** Q31202708
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/361743, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q31202708

**Fi1m score: 80** · Critics 82 from 21 reviews

*In a sentence:* The enemy has no name, the plot has no surprises, and the sky is real, which turns out to be enough

> Joseph Kosinski puts Tom Cruise back in a fighter jet, and Claudio Miranda’s cameras ride in the cockpit with him, so the sky and the strain on the faces are real. The story is the 1986 one again with the enemy left blank. It barely matters.

## Synopsis

Captain Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is a Navy test pilot in the Mojave desert, about to be grounded for pushing an experimental aircraft past the speed he was cleared for. Instead he is ordered back to the Top Gun school in San Diego to train recent graduates for a strike on a uranium plant in an unnamed enemy country, sunk in a canyon and guarded by better aircraft than theirs. Among the class is Lieutenant Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Miles Teller), son of the wingman Maverick lost decades ago, who blames him for it, and Lieutenant Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin (Glen Powell), who thinks he is the best pilot present. Admiral Beau ‘Cyclone’ Simpson (Jon Hamm) wants Maverick gone.

## Review

Thirty-six years after Tony Scott’s [*Top Gun*](https://film.one/film/top-gun), Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell is still a captain, which he treats as a point of pride and the Navy treats as a diagnosis. Joseph Kosinski’s sequel sends him back to the school that made him, to train young pilots for a strike none of them is expected to survive. The script, by Christopher McQuarrie, Eric Warren Singer and Ehren Kruger, is the old one with the serial numbers filed off. The flying is not. We recommend it, with the caveat that everything worth having in it happens in the air.

Claudio Miranda shoots it, and the difference is that the actors are in the aircraft and the sky behind them is real. The cameras sit in the cockpit looking back, so what we watch is a face being pushed out of shape by its own weight while the horizon rolls over its shoulder. We felt it in the stomach. The moment Cruise hauls up out of a canyon, his cheeks drag downwards, the picture goes white at the edges, and we realised nobody had drawn any of it.

Eddie Hamilton cuts the flying so that you always know where everyone is, which sounds like a small thing and is the whole job. The geometry holds through sequences that would turn to noise in most hands. Hans Zimmer and Harold Faltermeyer bring back Faltermeyer’s old synthesiser theme under a great deal of brass, and the film opens on the same carrier deck at the same golden hour with the same song as in 1986. It is shameless about this and knows we will forgive it. We did.

Cruise plays Maverick as a man who has never once wondered whether he was wrong. It works because the film keeps putting him in front of admirals who tell him he is finished: Jon Hamm’s Cyclone does this with his jaw, Charles Parnell’s Warlock with a sigh. Miles Teller’s Rooster, son of the wingman Maverick lost in the first film, wears a moustache and a grievance, both inherited. Glen Powell is the find. His Hangman is a grin on legs, certain he is the best pilot present, and Powell makes you like him for it. Monica Barbaro’s Phoenix and Lewis Pullman’s Bob get one scene each and then go back to being call signs.

Val Kilmer returns as Iceman, now an admiral, for a few minutes in a quiet house, and most of what he says he types on a screen. It moved us more than we thought this film had any right to, and what did it was Cruise waiting for him to finish, the film for once not hurrying anyone. Jennifer Connelly’s Penny Benjamin, who runs the bar where the pilots drink, is given a boat, a daughter and a great deal of patience, and not much to play.

The trouble is the world outside the cockpit. The target is a uranium plant in a country nobody names, and the mission is laid out like a level in a game: so many minutes to the coast, so many seconds in the canyon, then climb. Jeremy Hindle’s production design spends its care on the bar, the Hard Deck, all wood and neon and old photographs, and gives the enemy snow, a dam and nothing else. Marlene Stewart’s patched leather jackets tell us more about these people than the dialogue does. A blank enemy keeps the film clear of politics and leaves no one to be afraid of; every obstacle Maverick meets is a rule, and every rule bends for him. The middle of its 131 minutes is training runs and a game on the beach with the shirts off, and we found ourselves checking the time until the film went back into the air.

Against the original it is the better film by a distance: cleaner, kinder, less vain. Most critics have been warmer still, and we think they forgave the script because the pictures had already won them over. See it on the largest screen you can find, and do not ask who the enemy is; the film has decided you would rather not know.

*Fi1m score 80, published 28 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like it a great deal, and a good number say it is better than the original. The praise clusters on the flying: real aircraft, cameras in the cockpits, no digital fakery, and the reviews return to that point again and again. Tom Cruise is the other constant, credited with holding the film together and with a physical commitment the critics find hard to resist. Several are surprised by how much the film moves them, with the scenes about ageing and old rivalries landing harder than the reviews expected.

The spread is narrow; only one review is mixed and none is negative. The reservations are about the story rather than the flying. Time Out finds the middle sags; NME calls it brainless, thrilling but without any moral weight; The New York Times asks whether stories of pilots make sense in an age of drones. Sight and Sound is the outlier, finding the plot contrived and the subplots close to spoof, though it too praises the stunt work.

## Straight answers

**Is Top Gun: Maverick worth watching?**

*Top Gun: Maverick* is worth watching for anyone who wants to see real aircraft flown by actors whose faces are being pulled out of shape by it, and we scored it 80. The story is the 1986 one again and the middle sags on the ground, but everything in the air is as good as this kind of thing gets.

**How long is Top Gun: Maverick, and what is it rated?**

*Top Gun: Maverick* runs 2h 11m and is rated PG-13 by the MPA in the US. It is an action and drama film.

**Where can I watch Top Gun: Maverick in the US?**

*Top Gun: Maverick* is streaming on Paramount+, The Roku Channel, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. It leaves Hulu on 22 September. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Top Gun: Maverick, and is it suitable for children?**

*Top Gun: Maverick* is a 12A and sits comfortably within it: aerial combat, danger and a mission nobody expects to survive, but no gore and no enemy with a face. Younger children may find the flying loud and tense; most from about ten upwards will be fine, and the strain on the pilots is the nearest thing to fear it offers.

**How does Top Gun: Maverick compare to Top Gun?**

*Top Gun: Maverick* is the better film of the two by a distance: cleaner, kinder and less vain than the 1986 original, and its flying is real where Tony Scott’s was danger stitched together in the cutting room. The first film has the swagger and the sillier charm, and the sequel quotes it so often that seeing the original first will pay off.

**What should I watch after Top Gun: Maverick?**

After *Top Gun: Maverick*, try [*Top Gun*](https://film.one/film/top-gun) (1986, Fi1m 71): The original, vainer and sillier, and you will want to know what the sequel is quoting. Then [*The Right Stuff*](https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff) (1983, Fi1m 86): Test pilots in the desert with actual stakes, and a script that trusts its men to talk; and [*Only Angels Have Wings*](https://film.one/film/only-angels-have-wings) (1939, Fi1m 88): Hawks on fliers who joke about death because the alternative is discussing it.

### Reviews we read (21)

- **Empire**, Ian Freer (90/100, inferred): The film matches or improves on the original with its mix of familiarity, affection, and emotional depth. Kosinski delivers thrilling aerial sequences and a strong emotional core centered on aging, camaraderie, and Cruise's magnetic performance. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/top-gun-maverick/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (90/100, inferred): Kosinski's long-delayed sequel is a confidently rapturous, emotionally involving, take-your-breath-away great time at the movies and the most satisfying summer action movie since Mission: Impossible — Fallout. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/top-gun-maverick-review-1234723766/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film exhilarating and gloriously alive, crediting its unusual investment of brainpower alongside the spectacle. It singles out the way the story resurrects old threads of rivalry and triumph into male-weepie grandiosity for praise. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-05-12/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise)
- **The AV Club**, Todd Gilchrist (A-): Joe Kosinski matches architectural precision with nostalgic but never pandering emotionality while Cruise commands the screen. The film exceeds the original technically and gives Cruise his biggest full-circle moment. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-joe-kosinski-miles-t-1848896756)
- **The Guardian**, Mark Kermode (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel irresistible, with Tom Cruise delivering another ageless, engaging performance amid spectacular real-flight aeronautics and emotional callbacks. The film succeeds as crowd-pleasing spectacle that reminds viewers why cinema beats home viewing. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/29/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-joseph-kosinski)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (90/100, inferred): The superior sequel delivers virtuoso technical skill, propulsive pacing and edge-of-the-seat flying sequences. It boosts visceral analog action over CG fakery while following the original formula closely. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/top-gun-maverick-tom-cruise-1235144456/)
- **The New Yorker**, Anthony Lane (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the sequel far outflies the original through its beautifully shot action and disarming puppyish triumphalism. It singles out the use of real skies rather than CGI for praise while noting the plot's absurdities. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/05/30/top-gun-maverick-far-outflies-its-predecessor)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (90/100, inferred): The critic declares the film more than merits its existence as a barrier-breaking sequel that pushes cinema's limits with real aerial footage. It singles out the immersive practical flying sequences and Tom Cruise's commitment for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-1235263820/)
- **The Telegraph** (85/100, inferred): The review praises the film as thrilling and moving, highlighting Cruise's return and the exciting flight sequences as the best studio action film in years. It notes the surprisingly emotional plot alongside the high-octane action. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-makes-absurdly-exciting-return/)
- **Total Film** (85/100, inferred): A thunderously enjoyable blockbuster that hits its targets of nostalgia and adrenaline without cynicism. It offers on-point sentiment, scintillating set-pieces, and Cruise at his best in expertly crafted action. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/top-gun-maverick-review/)
- **Radio Times** (4/5): It is described as a brilliant blockbuster that betters the original through greater emotional depth in character dynamics and exhilarating practical aerial stunts. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/top-gun-maverick-review/)
- **The i Paper**, Geoffrey Macnab (4/5): A breathtaking sequel that defies cynicism and confirms Cruise as a blockbuster leader. It builds on the original with wit and grace, focusing on mission, relationships, and spectacular aerial photography in an old-fashioned celebration of courage. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-1628097)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The review calls it a crowd-thrilling sequel that surpasses the original, crediting exhilarating aerial sequences, fresh screenplay elements, and Cruise's performance while noting a sagging middle. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/top-gun-maverick-2021)
- **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): The film attempts to blend wistful nostalgia with escapist thrills but struggles to balance tones; Cruise's roguish charm and the nostalgic pleasures are singled out positively. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/top-gun-maverick-review/5170354.article)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (70/100, inferred): The critic sees the film confidently affirming the enduring appeal of its high-flying heroics with aggressive swagger. It singles out Tom Cruise's nimble, cocky, boyish charm for praise while questioning the relevance of such stories amid advancing drone technology. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/26/movies/top-gun-maverick-review.html)
- **Sight and Sound**, Kim Newman (50/100, inferred): The critic notes the film's nostalgic appeal and Cruise's enduring charisma alongside its contrived plot and soapy subplots that verge on spoof. Aerial stunt work and real-plane footage are highlighted as strengths. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/top-gun-maverick-shows-tom-cruise-can-still-get-his-rockets)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (A): The critic calls it one of Tom Cruise's greatest blockbusters and likely the best action film of 2022. They single out the tense, escalating aerial action sequences shot with real planes as a standout achievement. [Read](https://collider.com/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-joseph-kosinski/)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (95/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a splendid sequel that tops the original in every way, anchored by Cruise's all-knowing performance and an emotional storyline. The real, non-CGI aerial sequences stand out as genuine movie magic. [Read](https://deadline.com/video/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-sequel/)
- **Polygon**, Oli Welsh (80/100, inferred): The critic finds it a better and nicer film than the original, cementing Cruise as a blockbuster auteur. They single out the astounding practical aerial action sequences as the highlight. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23068332/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise/)
- **Den of Geek**, Don Kaye (3.5 out of 5): The film is a fan-friendly legacy sequel that checks all the expected boxes with returning stars and high-stakes action, while delivering engaging summer spectacle even for those indifferent to the original. The critic singles out the stunning practical aerial sequences for praise as the film's true highlight. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise/)
- **NME**, Mark Beaumont (70/100, inferred): The sequel delivers exactly the airborne thrills and military heroics its audience wants in an entertaining blockbuster ride, but remains brainless with no philosophical depth or moral complexity. The critic singles out the breathtaking G-Force aerial sequences for praise while noting the plot's Rocky-style training formula and lack of evolution. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/top-gun-maverick-review-tom-cruise-miles-teller-3224047)

## Details

- **Director:** Joseph Kosinski
- **Director:** Joseph Kosinski
- **Screenplay:** Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie
- **Story:** Justin Marks, Peter Craig
- **Cinematography:** Claudio Miranda
- **Editor:** Eddie Hamilton
- **Music:** Lady Gaga, Harold Faltermeyer, Hans Zimmer
- **Production design:** Jeremy Hindle
- **Costume design:** Marlene Stewart
- **Producer:** Christopher McQuarrie, Tom Cruise, David Ellison
- **Cast:** Tom Cruise as Capt. Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell; Miles Teller as Lt. Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw; Jennifer Connelly as Penny Benjamin; Bashir Salahuddin as Wo-1. Bernie 'Hondo' Coleman; Jon Hamm as Adm. Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson; Charles Parnell as Adm. Solomon 'Warlock' Bates; Monica Barbaro as Lt. Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace; Lewis Pullman as Lt. Robert 'Bob' Floyd
- **Runtime:** 2h 11m
- **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13
- **Release (the US):** 27 May 2022
- **Genres:** Action, Drama
- **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 2022); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2022)
- **Budget:** $170 million
- **Box office:** $1.49 billion
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klc__shdj88

## Where to watch in the US

- Paramount+: streaming, hd
- The Roku Channel: add-on, hd
- Hulu: add-on, hd, leaving 2026-09-22
- Amazon Prime Video: add-on, uhd
- Apple TV: add-on, uhd
- Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd
- Apple TV: rent $4.99, hd
- Amazon Prime Video: buy $16.99, uhd
- Apple TV: buy $16.99, hd

*Checked 2026-09-17.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2023: Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Visual Effects (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated); Best Sound (won)
- BAFTA Film Awards 2023: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Editing (nominated); Best Sound (nominated); Best Special Visual Effects (nominated)
- Golden Globes 2023: Best Motion Picture – Drama (nominated); Best Original Song (nominated)
- Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie 2023: Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie (nominated)
- AFI Movie of the Year 2022: AFI Movie of the Year (won)
- Saturn Awards 2022: Best Director (nominated); Best Special Effects (nominated); Best Action or Adventure Film (won); Best Actor (won); Best Editing (won)

## If you liked this

- *Top Gun* (1986), Fi1m 71: The original, vainer and sillier, and you will want to know what the sequel is quoting — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/top-gun.md)
- *The Right Stuff* (1983), Fi1m 86: Test pilots in the desert with actual stakes, and a script that trusts its men to talk — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-right-stuff.md)
- *Only Angels Have Wings* (1939), Fi1m 88: Hawks on fliers who joke about death because the alternative is discussing it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/only-angels-have-wings.md)
- *Mission: Impossible – Fallout* (2018), Fi1m 87: Cruise and McQuarrie doing the same trick on the ground and in a helicopter — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/mission-impossible-fallout.md)
- *Le Mans* (1971): Real machines, real speed, almost no plot; the honest ancestor of this film’s best hour

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/top-gun-maverick