“Top Gun: Maverick” is the perfect summer film.

After three decades, get ready to ride into “danger zone” in the long-awaited sequel of the 1980’s flyboy classic, Top Gun: Maverick.

And, after all this time, the hype is REAL.

One of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise), is reassigned to San Diego’s Top Gun flight school as an instructor, where he must come face to face with his past in order to complete the mission at hand.

Top Gun: Maverick is the perfect film for summer audiences, surpassing its predecessor thanks to a nostalgia-filled, emotional story and adrenaline-pumping action.

Although the sequel follows the structure of the original with PLENTY of throwbacks woven throughout, you don’t have to be a die hard fan to fall in love with the film’s undeniable charisma and committed cast. Top Gun: Maverick is one of the rare sequels that embraces its past while keeping things fresh in a respectful and not cheesy way.

The film managed to take my breath away with its cinematography and nail-biting action. The iconic aerial sequences (the dog fights, the training) have now been captured with state of the art technology, making these experiences unbelievable to watch. It feels so real, making the stakes even higher. When Tom Cruise said to see this on the biggest screen possible, he WAS NOT kidding. Because THIS is the Top Gun experience we deserve.

Besides the spectacle in the sky, the emotional themes and complex character journey of Maverick felt so much more genuine this time around. Like, the rumor going around the this movie will make your boyfriend misty-eyed, is not a joke. Top Gun: Maverick isn’t afraid to go right for the heart.

And on behalf of everyone (specifically my friend and I), I would like to personally thank whoever wrote the whole let’s have Miles Teller and Glen Powell football-on-the-beach in tight jeans into the movie.

Now that was PERFECTION.

Final Thoughts: Perfect summer movie is perfect summer movie. No notes. Nothing will top it this summer. Just go and enjoy!