I’ll begin by disclaiming that I have loved the original Top Gun since I first saw it almost 20 years ago, so I’m inherently biased. That said, I think I speak for myself and many others when I say I frankly wasn’t expecting Maverick to be as incredible as it was. I expected a low-effort rehashing of the original film, which would be fun but cheesy and ultimately shallow. What we got was a masterpiece which had just enough callbacks to the original film we all love, but still stands entirely on its own with immense emotional depth and story. Even the music clearly recalls the original soundtrack, but it’s different enough that it feels different. I don’t know that I’d argue this is the best sequel ever made, but I’ll absolutely argue it’s a perfect one.