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Top Gun: Maverick reviews and reactions are in and they are stunning

You are going to want to feel the need for speed once more.

When big blockbusters face a delay - and a tight review embargo - it usually means that the movie isn't going to live up to lofty expectations.

Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to the 1986 movie, had both of these, but early reactions - and now the actual reviews - are pushing this one as one of the best blockbusters in years.

Starring Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as Maverick, alongside Val Kilmer returning and newcomers Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly and John Hamm, the action takes off 30-something years after the original with Maverick still a maverick and a whole host of new pilots ready to take to the skies.

Directed by Tron: Legacy's Joseph Kosinski, the movie more than lives up to the hype according to those who have had an early sneak peak at the film.

We were getting our hopes up when Empire's editor posted this on Twitter about the film:

But now even more people have seen the film and we are completely sold. Here's what those who have seen it are saying...

Now, these are early reactions and they are usually a little more optimistic than the actual reviews, but the good news is, the reviews have also just landed and they are - for the most part - equally glowing.

Here's what the critics are saying::

The Great

  • GamesRadar: "No cynicism, just on-point sentiment and scintillating set-pieces. TG:M scores a direct hit on its twin targets of nostalgia and adrenaline."
  • Empire: "Avoiding the danger zone of mere retread, Kosinski and co deliver all the Top Gun feels and then some."
  • The Independent: "Tom Cruise soars in a sequel that’s as thrilling as blockbusters get."

The Good

  • Entertainment Weekly: "The need for speed comes with a fresh young cast, but the Cruise control remains."
  • Roger Ebert.com: "You will be right at home with “Top Gun: Maverick,” director Joseph Kosinski’s witty adrenaline booster that allows its leading producer to be exactly what he is—a star."
  • The Guardian: Tom Cruise is still speedy, less needy in a rock’n’roll sequel.
  • Den of Geek: Tom Cruise is back in the air in the fan-friendly legacy sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

The so-so

  • The Wrap: "Top Gun: Maverick” counts as a worthy sequel in that it succeeds and fails in many of the same ways as the original. It’s another cornball male weepie and military recruitment ad that feels like every WWII movie got fed into an algorithm."


Top Gun: Maverick is out 25 May in the UK, 27 May in the US.