My husband and I snuck out to catch Top Gun 2: Maverick the other night, simply expecting a night of entertainment. Once in a while, you experience something which inspires you. That was the night.
I think from the start, when the soft, understated music started playing, which was very unlike that you would expect from a big budget movie, which should aim to blow you away from the get go with stunning setpieces and sequences, I was really impressed. The music never aimed to overwhelm you, was actually quiet and slow-building, and so patient and self-assured. It built up the atmosphere and showed you something about what the movie was about, which was men maintaining planes, and the teamwork that went into it before a plane could take off.
Then the movie started with our favourite character, Tom Cruise, getting ready to do what seemed to be a Mach 9 test. I shall not spoil the rest of the movie, but I particularly liked Bob, the awkward-looking nerd who is actually a great flyer and surprise surprise, the wingman of Phoenix, this sharp-looking girl who seemed like she MUST be a love interest of someone, being in the presence of so much testosterone, but actually she isn't. I also liked the casting of Hangman, who was this boyish, impishly good-looking guy but whom nobody liked.
Jennifer Connolly was quite good as Penny, not a super hot lady, but just an old flame, but she seemed tired and wan, the kind of look women past menopause, in their 50s, tend to have. The skin a bit paper thin, the eyes a bit tired-looking, wrinkles starting to appear along her jaw. Not like the plump, moist, dewy, glistening look of youth. I guess cos Tom Cruise isn't exactly a spring chicken himself, they decided not to pair him with someone overly young, which is tasteful I guess. But they could have picked someone more likeable, like Helen Hunt (maybe too sad) or Reese Witherspoon, Isla Fischer (my fav!), Amy Adams or Alicia Silverstone. Even Kate Winslet could provide for an interesting dynamic, if she wasn't too high-and-mighty for such simple roles. However, she hardly stars as just a faithful, supportive wife. She is always fiesty, gritty, determined.
There was a very tastefully done, touching scene between Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer. The moment between Yoda and his pupil, so to speak. Where more is conveyed in the silence than in words. At one point, when Tom Cruise is busy justifying himself, full of emotion, Val Kilmer doesn't let him get away but just points again to what he typed. The typing was a realistic touch, a reminder that something you take for granted can just be taken away, and how people then adapt, and try to carry on life with a semblance of normalcy. But it is a looming spectre at the back, that all our days are limited, and even our abilities cannot be assumed to be there for us at our beck and call always.
In that scene, Tom Cruise broke down very convincingly. I think it is a testament to his acting, similar to Russell Crowe breaking down in Gladiator.
I also loved the reunion scene between Tom Cruise and Rooster, when Rooster went back to save him. It was so comical and funny. And touching at the same time. Of 2 men who are trying to be better versions of themselves.
There were other funny moments, like the ascerbic black guy next to Jon Hamm, spewing out funny one-liners to help Tom Cruise out at criticial moments.
And of course the flying, action sequenecs, aerial cinematography, whatever people keep crowing about. I guess you need that to make the show compelling, but I don't particularly feel for it one way or another. What I liked was the many twists and paybacks, when the character gets out of one sticky situation, only to get into another one, and the way the many tensions and unresolved issues set out in the first half (e.g. Hangman's unlikeability and rivalry with Rooster, the animosity between Rooster and Tom Cruise, the ambiguity of Tom Cruise's relationship with Penny, whether a man flying a plane is still needed or can drones do the job) all had a satisfying payback in the second half. So it was very gratifying for the audience to watch.
And of course, once you read the reviews, you start to realise how so much of the film seemed to have Tom Cruise's fingerprints. I mean it could be an exaggeration, another marketing gimmick tapping on his star power, but I can imagine this to be true to some extent, cos he is known to be a perfectionist and very demanding of himself, and giving a lot of suggestions for the films he is in. I came away from the film with one thought - this is what you can achieve, when you plug at something until your late 50s, always devoting yourself to honing your craft and dedication to perfection. It allowed me to have hope that I could get good at my job in my current role, much as I feel like a fish out of water in that role. I mean, the skillsets are known, to have to master. It is whether I am willing to devote that kind of manic attention and energy to it.
On the issue of attention, by the way, quite a few people have pointed out to me my power to focus in the midst of a very noisy environment. A fellow mom said it of me in a car full of screaming kids, and a colleague said he was impressed when I was on Skype and my kids would interrupt and I would mute myself for a period, presumably to scold them, and then come back and resume as if nothing was the matter. I never realised this about myself. I guess the ability to focus does come naturally to me. It's one of God's gifts. But I need to translate it into something of impact now. Focus my God-given talents to the tasks at hand, and become really good at it. And also to identify a worthy cause to devote my additional time to.
