Flying high

Belated action sequel will take your breath away with its peerless 4K picture and Atmos sound

TOP GUN: MAVERICK 

From Mary Poppins Returns to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, legacy sequels continue to be big business in Hollywood. However, getting the balance right between bringing something new to the story and indulging in fan-pleasing nostalgia has often proved tricky.

So, when news first broke that Tom Cruise had signed on to reprise the role of United States Navy Captain Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in a sequel to his 1986 box office smash Top Gun, we weren't exactly expecting some kind of cinematic masterpiece. Sure, we thought, the flying scenes might be exciting. But beyond that, any residual fondness for the original lay in giddy nostalgia for the film's sun-drenched 1980s aesthetic and pop-rock soundtrack, not its story or characters. How wrong we were.

Against all odds, Top Gun: Maverick isn't merely a wallow in nostalgia, it's one of the best blockbusters in years. It's a film that marries its dazzling airborne spectacle - more on that below - with a smart script (co-written by Cruise's recent Mission: Impossible collaborator Christopher McQuarrie) that finds a satisfying way to bring Maverick's story full circle while adding emotional depth to his journey.

The film also surrounds Cruise with an excellent supporting cast, principally Miles Teller as 'Goose's son 'Rooster', with whom Maverick shares a particularly difficult history, and Jennifer Connelly, who has real chemistry as Cruise's love-interest.