The premiere saw eight fighter jets spreading red, white and blue smoke over the red carpet gala outdoors as Tom Cruise and the cast looked on. It was the highlight of what might be termed Tom Cruise Day at Cannes with the actor giving a Master Class and a montage of his greatest hit films screened at the premiere of Top Gun Maverick. During the screening the stunts brought gasps from the Cannes audience. After the screening at the palais there was a five minute ovation from the audience for the star.
The plot of the film follows on from the previous hugely successful Top Gun film. After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell played by Tom Cruise, is pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialised mission, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw, call sign: “Rooster,” played by Miles Teller, the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it. Val Kilmer plays Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky.
The original Top Gun was released 36 years ago and was a landmark Hollywood hit. Despite having all the firepower of Hollywood behind it the film which was due to premiere in 2019 was hit by the COVID pandemic and finally finished shooting only in 2022 in time for this year’s edition of Cannes. This is mainstream Hollywood entertainment at its best with all the thrills and chills of stunts and special effects.
With its patriotic theme the film is due to be released on Memorial Day in the USA and promises to be one of the year’s biggest blockbusters.
Credits:
Top Gun Maverick (USA)
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Cast: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm
