THE ACTION
Behind enemy lines;
Jon Hamm as admiral Cyclone;
Still the best of the best;
Iceman (Val Kilmer) and Maverick reunite
Penny (Jennifer Connelly) with Maverick;
A more world-weary Pete Mitchell.
”WE’RE GOING INTO COMBAT, SON, ON A LEVEL NO LIVING PILOT’S EVER SEEN.”
While there’s a fair amount of CGI in the movie, it can’t be overstated how much the commitment to putting Cruise and his co-stars in cockpits and throwing them around at speeds that would pummel most of us into Play-Doh paid off. The rush of adrenaline, for example, that surges through Maverick as he accelerates off the runway of an aircraft carrier, the background zipping past like it’s being pulled on wires, is infectious, addictive, and surely triggered much of the film’s repeat business.