Rebecca Walker

I saw this movie yesterday, and what a wild and heart filled nostalgic ride it was. Tom Cruise resisted doing sequels to the original immediately post release of the first film, and I agree with his decision with doing so. If they had churned out a bunch of same type of script, recycled over and over it would have fallen to the way side as a 'been there, done that' series of films. Picking up the story so many years later allowed so much more dynamics of character growth and change. Maverick is still Maverick, but at the core he's developed into someone who while still breaks the rules, does so to protect those he loves deeply from suffering harm. We see that in the beginning with him risking his own life to save a program to ensure others still have their jobs to come to. The action sequences were, phenomenal. Breathtaking, adrenaline filled, and with incredible shots that give different view points of manuvering we saw in the first film (the first time Maverick 'hits the brakes' on the trainees is something to see from a cockpit point of view). Truly needs to be seen on the large screen. But the depth of the story is Maverick's personal relationships. Miles Teller does an incredible job as Rooster, Goose's son. Several times he really has you blinking twice thinking his father is there. He and Maverick convey the real tension between them, and their interactions at the start are pretty heavy. The rest of the trainees are excellent in their roles, and definately provide both the cocky and humorous sides of full of themselves young pilots. I could go on about Jennifer Connelly (always a treat to see), who brings in the romantic aspect for Maverick, and the rest of the higher up officials at Top Gun, but I want to take a moment for a shout out for the best relationship moment in the movie, with Iceman. This relationship, while limited in screen time, was truly the most heartwarming, and for me, tear inducing. Maverick and Iceman have clearly been each other's true wingmen throughout their lives, the latter keeping Maverick in the Navy and giving him the opportunities he knows Maverick is capable of doing. And Maverick clearly being supportive and helping during Iceman's health issues. The scene where Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer reunite on the screen, the two manage to convey the depth of their relationship with very few words actually needing to be spoken. That they have been there through thick, thin, and everything in between is obvious from the get-go, and it's a beautiful wrap up to what was hinted at the end of the first film. I truly hope this performance shows that Kilmer is still a capable, effective actor able to bring it to the screen, even if you need to work with his health issues. The man still has it, and I look forward to hopefully seeing more of him acting again in the near future. This is a phenomenal continuation of the first film, and we'll worth the wait.

Loved this movie. I've been watching Godzilla films since I was 7, and I'm 42 now, and I think I've missed only one or two in the whole genre of films. If your a long time fan, you won't be disappointed in this movie. While it's obviously a modern movie which doesn't have the iconic man-in-a-suit lug we are so familiar with, it does pay homage to many of the most iconic moments that have made the originals so beloved. From the musical score including both Godzilla's and Mothra's theme music, to keeping to the roles the monsters played in the previous films in relation to Godzilla they stayed pretty true. The whole point of the original films was we enjoyed seeing Godzilla and his fellow monsters lay waste to the scenery around them and each other, either fighting for the humans or against them (or sometimes both). This film delivers that. If your looking for the humans to be the part you remember walking out of the theater, your going to be disappointed. But honestly, in the original films the humans were second string to the monsters as well, and that's the point. The 2014 film set it up to have the big guy be a big presence but it ended up falling well short of delivering due to trying to build the human characters up too much in importance. We don't really care. We want to see our beloved Titans battle it out, and that's exactly what was served up to us. My only criticism is that many sub-monsters were glimpsed, but not given some proper screen time. I'm hoping the next film allows some of the lesser monsters an opportunity to shine. If your a true fan, you will appreciate this movie and enjoy it. If your looking for a good action packed, fast paced film, you will enjoy it. If your looking for a human centric movie, spend your money elsewhere. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.