First reactions for Tom Cruise’s Top Gun Maverick are in with critics calling it ‘the best movie in ten years’

Tom Cruise is returning to the cockpit of a fighter plane for the first time in 36 years. The actor will reprise his role as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to his cult classic 1986 film Top Gun.

While the release of Joseph Kosinski-directed Top Gun: Maverick is still four weeks away, the film was screened at CinemaCon recently for a select audience, including a few critics and film journalists. Following the premiere, many of them took to social media, giving their first impressions of the film and showering praises upon it.

CinemaCon is an annual convention of movie theatre owners and the 2022 edition was held in Las Vegas from April 25-28. Every year, the event sees first look reveals, trailers, and announcements of several big films before they are released to the public. Paramount Pictures, the studio releasing Top Gun 2, held an exclusive premiere of the film at the convention. It was attended by very select critics.

On Thursday, after the premiere, several critics took to Twitter to share their thoughts about the film. Critics particularly praised the flying scenes and the cinematography in the film. Fandango’s Erik Davis called the film ‘absolutely terrific’ and wrote, “The action & flying is crazy intense & continually changes & evolves. You’re on the edge of your seat. I was not prepared for how emotional it was, too. The crowd cheered a dozen times. It’s real deal.” The Outlaw Nation’s John Rocha also showered praises upon the film saying it was worth the wait. “The story, acting, emotions and those dogfight sequences are all excellent,” read his tweet.

Many argued that this was a movie experience that viewers should only go for on the big screen. Steven Weintraub, the editor-in-chief of Collider, also praised the film, saying he was ‘blown away’ by the aerial scenes. “This is the kind of movie you want to see on the biggest screen possible,” he wrote.

Several critics argued that it was one of the best-made films in recent times. Calling it ‘the best film of the year,’ The Wrap’s reporter Drew Taylor tweeted, “What Kosinski, @chrismcquarrie, @eddiehamilton and of course @TomCruise have accomplished is epic and intimate, heart-stopping and heartbreaking. However good you think it’ll be, it’s better.” Nikki Novak, who writes for Fandango, went ahead and called Top Gun: Maverick possibly ‘the best movie in 10 years. She wrote, “Thrills & chills, tears & cheers. @TomCruise is unparalleled. It exceeds anything you could imagine. Extraordinarily tense. Perfection.”

Top Gun: Maverick takes place thirty years after the first film and sees Tom Cruise’s Maverick taking charge of a group of Top Gun graduates of the US Navy. The first film, which also starred Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis, was a roaring success, grossing $357 million at the box office against a $15 million budget.

Top Gun: Maverick also stars Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman, and Ed Harris, along with Val Kilmer reprising his role from the first film. It is set to be released in theatres on May 27, 2022.