Top Gun: Maverick is one of the best movies that I have seen in a long time. It is probably the only movie worth seeing in theaters for the past three years, in my opinion. Of course, I am biased as a lifelong military aviation enthusiast, but Top Gun: Maverick really hit the mark.
The film follows the recent trend of rebooting franchises and appealing to nostalgia. This is common these days, as seen in franchises like Creed (Rocky) and Bad Boys. Characters from the original film have aged, characters of the first movie have had children that are now adults, and there is a cameo appearance from the star of the original Top Gun, the venerable F-14 Tomcat. Seeing the first film in the series will make Maverick more enjoyable, but it is not a necessity. The film offers closure to relationships in the first and develops its newly introduced characters as well.
While I love the Tomcat more than the Super Hornet, Top Gun: Maverick is a better work of cinema than the first, in my opinion. The first Top Gun is filled with thrills and a young man’s bravado, but Maverick sees the titular character mature, just a little bit. In the film’s maturity, four life lessons come to mind.
Practice – Make it Real
If you know a bit about the history of naval aviation (or watched the first few seconds of either Top Gun movie), you know that TOPGUN is the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School. Well, these days it is the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program. The point is, TOPGUN is an advanced tactical aviator’s training program.
See also – TOPGUN Tactics in the Game
In the film, Maverick makes it clear that in training, one must make every effort to ensure that their regimen is as close to the real thing as possible. Practice is important to hone one’s skills in any craft. If practice is lax, however, one may not perform up to par when it is time to use those skills. Make sure that your practice and training are as real as they can get.
Push Yourself and Your Tools to their Limits
Maverick earned his callsign by bending the rules. As an instructor, he taught his pilots to push themselves and their aircraft to their limits, even if doing so was outside of regulations.
Of course, I do not advise breaking laws or wasting the taxpayers’ airplanes, but sometimes we are forced to go beyond what we think our capabilities are or act outside of the norms of “polite society” in order to accomplish our goals.
Reputation Can Open (or Close) Doors
In the Top Gun universe, Maverick’s exploits are legendary. In real life, his exploits likely would get him kicked out of the Navy, but let’s just enjoy a movie for what it is.
Maverick has his reputation in part to thank for his successful career and pull in the naval aviator community. As Robert Green’s 48 Laws of Power teaches us, So Much Depends on Reputation – Guard it with your Life.
Having the Right Connections Can Open Other Doors
Reputation can get us far in life but may not be enough to open all doors. Having the right connections to unlock the doors that we cannot is how we can turn on the afterburners in our lives.
Maverick’s old rival, Iceman, makes an appearance in Top Gun: Maverick and has been promoted to Admiral of the Pacific Fleet. With his pull, he saves Maverick’s career from certain disaster and gets him his post as a TOPGUN instructor.
Always be on the lookout for opportunities to connect with potential kingmakers, or at least those that will help you to elevate your life.
In Conclusion
Top Gun: Maverick is a movie that I certainly recommend, and I will likely be seeing it again in cinemas. Kick the tires, light the fires and go see it. It is well worth a watch.
If you are hungry for more personal development tips (from a real fighter pilot this time), check out 12 Fighter Pilot Hacks That Apply to Everyday Life from Ward Carroll.
You can also pre-order Top Gun: Maverick on Blu-Ray, DVD, or Amazon Prime Video.