Why ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Deserves to be Seen on the Biggest Screen Possible

There was reason to be skeptical when it was announced there would be a sequel to the classic film Top Gun. It's important to keep in mind that recently, Hollywood has received backlash and slander for not creating many 'original' films. Nowadays, many moviegoers complain about too many sequels and franchises that don't bring anything new to the table.

So, with the announcement of Top Gun: Maverick, it seemed reasonable to be nervous. But once "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins comes blasting in over the opening credit sequence (just like the original,) I knew this movie was going to be something special.

While Cruise can be intense while filming a movie, he seems to be just as involved during post-production. After filming was fully complete, Top Gun: Maverick was slated to release in May of 2020. Then the pandemic began.

The film got delayed three times before receiving what seemed to be a set-in-stone release window of November 2021. But fans were distraught when finding out they had to wait another six months before finally seeing Top Gun: Maverick. Although this may have upset some fans, the extended delay was for good measure.

The Winter of 2020 had a major increase in COVID cases, and most were predicting a similar trend for Winter 2021. This worried Cruise because he wanted assurance that he couldn't predict. Ultimately, Cruise and Paramount Studios decided to delay the film one final time to May 2022 (two whole years after it was originally going to be released). The choice was tough for Paramount studios, considering how many delays the film had already been through. Thankfully, in the end, it seems to have paid off.

So far, Top Gun: Maverick has broken the Memorial Day weekend box office record, raking in over $150 million. Furthermore, Cruise and Paramount studios refused to sell the movie to streaming services. This was because Paramount, but specifically Cruise, didn’t want anybody seeing the film for the first time on a small electronic device. They specifically wanted audiences to have a proper movie theater experience and felt like this action epic deserved it. They were right.

Recently, because of the pandemic, many films were released in theaters and on streaming platforms simultaneously. One example would be 2021s Sci-Fi epic, Dune. In addition to the theater, Dune was also released on HBOMax. Many film fans took advantage of having an HBOMax subscription and watched the film at home. Dune is an absolute spectacle that deserves to be seen in theaters. I was honestly appalled when one of my friends told me he saw it on his tiny laptop. Seeing original blockbuster movies on the big screen with an audience is special and to throw that away on a laptop viewing alone hurts my soul.

Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Batman, and The Northman are three films released earlier this year that I would put in the category of unmissable at the theater (if you haven’t seen any of those movies yet I STRONGLY recommend doing so).

Despite each film being vastly different from one another, the filmmaking behind each project was nothing short of perfect. These film crews executed unique and beautiful films that made the theater experience a visceral journey and that goes for Top Gun: Maverick too. 

When it comes to the action sequences in Top Gun: Maverick, they are masterfully helmed by Director Joseph Kosinski. Seeing the film in an IMAX theater felt more realistic than ever. While Cruise was flying at unimaginable speeds through the sky, the seats were rumbling, my heart was pounding, and I felt like ‘Maverick’s’ wingman. I can confidently say the dogfighting in this movie might surpass 2017s Dunkirk as some of the greatest dogfighting sequences ever put to screen. I’m not even sure how some of those scenes were filmed but nevertheless, it was an absolute joy to watch. 

So please…walk, run, drive, fly, or however you can transport yourself to a theater do it. This movie deserves to be seen on the BIGGEST screen possible and is a great way to start your Summer.