There was a moment when I realized that going to see Maverick was a good choice. It was when Maverick stood outside the bar he’d just been thrown out of and watched through the window as Rooster played the piano and sang Great Balls of Fire just like his father did in 1986. In that moment, we saw for the first time the humanity of an older, wiser, more world weary, more flawed, more filled with regret Pete Mitchell. But none of that would stop Pete from doing what he’s always done best, which is just be the best.
It’s a good place to find him. Many of us loved what Maverick did in 1986, but we also knew that Maverick did not have the attributes of someone who was destined to play the role of his superiors like Viper in Top Gun….or even the role that peers like Iceman would assume.
Mav has regrets, but it doesn't cause him to question what he does better than anyone else. Nor does it cause him to temper that drive to do it when he knows it will cost him. And damn, maybe a movie about dogfighting in a fighter plane is a throwback to another era, and damn if that isn’t still a lot of fun, but doing what you know you are right about when the wind is blowing way too hard in another direction is exactly the kind of movie we need to get excited about right now.
See Top Gun Maverick. See it multiple times. Turn your brain off and have fun, but also hear that voice that tells you that you may be the only person that knows what to do when everybody else is mired in bureaucracy and covering their own ass. That’s what we’ve had more than enough of. That’s what I’ve had more than enough of.
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