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Post by Pavan on May 26, 2022 9:07:26 GMT
Had a pretty good time watching Maverick. Way better than the first part. Kept the plot simple but the action astounding. Offers some thrilling aviation sequences during the first 10 min and the last 30 min with the middle portions allotted to some decent character work. Handsomely mounted and neatly performed- 7.5/10
Everything Cruise and McQuarrie touches turns to gold except that Mummy film. How they missed that one is a mystery.
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Post by Miles Morales on May 26, 2022 9:29:35 GMT
Everything Cruise and McQuarrie touches turns to gold except that Mummy film. How they missed that one is a mystery. I think studio interference played a big part plus the director and co-writer (Alex Kurtzman) isn't very good. Everything else the duo made had Cruise in control.
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havok2
Junior Member
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Post by havok2 on May 26, 2022 20:51:27 GMT
Saw this laat Saturday. The movie's probably Cruise best in a long time. Maybe since Collateral. Watch it on IMAX, I can't imagine being the same without the format since it was very immersive. It has an Americana touch that is so revitalizing for summer movies.
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Post by countjohn on May 28, 2022 2:06:44 GMT
This is pretty good and like a lot of people I'd say it's an upgrade on the first one which was pretty much 80's cheese aside from the aerial sequences. Had a surprising amount of heart and riffs on the mythos of the first film well. And of course the aerial sequences are still really good, the dogfighting training bit with Won't Get Fooled again playing was so much fun. Plus Cruise is a better actor now than in 86 and can carry a movie like this effortlessly. Sound design is fantastic too and it will probably end up being the best of the year there.
As for the rest of the cast, Kilmer's appearance hits harder with the real world context there. The girl who was Phoenix was the highlight of the young pilots and was hot so hopefully she can spin a role in a big movie like this into something. Also nice to see Miles Teller do something again, believe it or not he hasn't had a movie out in five years and it was looking like the La La Land debacle had killed his career so good for him.
Not sure this is the kind of thing I'll ever want to rewatch and the spectacle of the big screen helps a lot but it's a solid summer blockbuster. Went with a 7/10
Edit- Also the only place Cruise has aged is around the eyes, when he had the aviator shades on he looked just like the first movie. When they redid the shot of him riding the motorcycle on the runway I legit thought they were reshowing the clip from the first movie at first.
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Post by countjohn on May 28, 2022 4:02:26 GMT
Also, who do we think the enemy state was in this? Was thinking Iran or North Korea at first but the terrain wasn't right for Iran and the other pilots would have clearly been able to see it was two white guys in the plane and they don't react at first. So I'm thinking it has to be Russia. Especially since they seemed to have tech comparable to the US with their planes and anti aircraft weapons. They seemed to be going to great lengths to hide what country it was though with always having their faces covered and even having the writing on their base out of focus so you couldn't tell what language it was.
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Post by Joaquim on May 28, 2022 5:45:43 GMT
They seemed to be going to great lengths to hide what country it was though with always having their faces covered and even having the writing on their base out of focus so you couldn't tell what language it was. Gotta be China then lmao
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on May 28, 2022 6:52:02 GMT
Also, who do we think the enemy state was in this? Was thinking Iran or North Korea at first but the terrain wasn't right for Iran and the other pilots would have clearly been able to see it was two white guys in the plane and they don't react at first. So I'm thinking it has to be Russia. Especially since they seemed to have tech comparable to the US with their planes and anti aircraft weapons. They seemed to be going to great lengths to hide what country it was though with always having their faces covered and even having the writing on their base out of focus so you couldn't tell what language it was. As far as I remember, that was intentionally kept vague, even during test screenings
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Post by countjohn on May 28, 2022 16:42:35 GMT
Must I see the original first in order to appreciate this? (aside from the nostalgia factor I mean.) I don't even really like the first film and I still had a good time with this. It's not something I'd give an unqualified recommendation to, it's fluff, but if you want to see it it's definitely something to see on the big screen since it just won't play the same on a TV.
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Post by DeepArcher on May 28, 2022 19:05:46 GMT
This was a complete blast. Tom Cruise has saved the cinema.
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Post by stabcaesar on May 28, 2022 19:10:35 GMT
This was a complete blast. Tom Cruise has saved the cinema. Lmao for real?
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Post by DeepArcher on May 28, 2022 19:26:47 GMT
This was a complete blast. Tom Cruise has saved the cinema. Lmao for real? Idk if I'm somehow construed as an anti-blockbuster guy on here or something but if my approval is what convinces some of you that this is Actually Good then please go and see it on the biggest screen with the loudest sound you can find. Don't think anyone's acting like this reinvents the wheel (most of the appeal is in how it completely shirks originality) but I'm not sure we've had a true bonafide summer blockbuster with great action and a simple, unfussy story like this since ... well, the last time Cruise was in a movie, maybe. Not only is Cruise doing his darndest to preserve a very specific type of dying cinema ... the film is practically designed as a metaphor for that very mission. I am particularly susceptible to Cruise and his endlessly fascinating iconography but it's hard not to be won over by it. No one else does it like this anymore.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on May 28, 2022 20:18:58 GMT
I'm seeing this in proper IMAX next week and I can't fucking wait
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Post by futuretrunks on May 28, 2022 22:10:21 GMT
Wow, this was good. Cruise is a goddamn movie star.
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Post by futuretrunks on May 29, 2022 2:47:01 GMT
I'm still jazzed about this. Some of these flying sequences were amazing.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Jun 3, 2022 4:34:33 GMT
It’s absurd how much better this is than the original. Like I can’t think of another example of a sequel that improves on its predecessor to the same degree. And you really don’t even need to see the first one to enjoy it (aside from picking up on some of the callbacks)… the first one has so little plot anyway that it works just fine as a simple backstory as if this were a standalone film. It somehow wrings genuine pathos out of events from the original that had zero effect on me when I watched the first one.
I suppose the weakest aspect was the Jennifer Connelly stuff, but it was least serviceable and wasn’t painfully cringey like the Kelly McGillis romance, which was the absolute worst part of the original. The highlight is of course the aerial sequences, which are really quite spectacular (so bummed that I didn’t get to see this at my beloved Bullock IMAX theater in Texas and had to settle for Liemax instead). Overall, this is a rousing, very satisfying summer blockbuster, and crowdpleasing in the best possible way. If you’re going to continue to churn out nostalgia bait, Hollywood, this is how you do it.
Something else about the film that I love is how it works on a kind of meta level – the way Maverick is told at the beginning that he’s not part of the future and is a member of a dying breed, and he acknowledges that truth while also saying that he’s not going away just yet – it acts like a statement on not just Cruise’s effort to preserve a specific type of dying cinema (as DeepArcher mentioned), but also how Cruise represents a specific kind of movie star that is fading in Hollywood. It gives the film almost a melancholic touch, as if saying “I’m not going to be around forever, but I’m still here for now.”
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Post by countjohn on Jun 4, 2022 18:02:28 GMT
It’s absurd how much better this is than the original. Like I can’t think of another example of a sequel that improves on its predecessor to the same degree. Star Trek: The Motion Picture vs Wrath of Khan will always be the winner here.
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Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Jun 4, 2022 21:35:44 GMT
Just got back from seeing this in IMAX (in not ideal seats) and maybe will throw together some thoughts later. Suffice to say it's worth seeing on the big screen for the SOUND alone. Whooshing has never sounded so good. And the supporting VFX is a perfect example of what VFX should be - largely invisible even when you know it's there. A supplement to the action instead of being the action.
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Post by Viced on Jun 8, 2022 0:04:48 GMT
This thing kicked so much ass right from the opening scene on. First time I've had misty eyes and goosebumpy arms in a movie theater since... The Irishman? In IMAX, the sound is fucking incredible. The flying sequences are totally visceral. Yet the moment that stuck with me the most was the appearance from the legend Val Kilmer. The gravity of his presence, the charming way the scene played out, the power when he actually spoke... woo baby, heavy and beautiful stuff. Also might be one of the best acted scenes of Cruise's career. And the final stretch of the film was just flawless blockbuster filmmaking. "What were you thinking?" "You told me not to think!" And the very ending was beautiful. Left the theater on a total movie high tbh.
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Post by mhynson27 on Jun 8, 2022 4:45:47 GMT
And the final stretch of the film was just flawless blockbuster filmmaking. "What were you thinking?" "You told me not to think!" Teller's shrug afterwards is sooo good.
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Post by The_Cake_of_Roth on Jun 10, 2022 20:30:37 GMT
Just realized that this is the second movie with Jennifer Connelly (that I know of) that features a teacher dramatically tossing a textbook/manual into a garbage can in front of a class.
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flasuss
Badass
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Post by flasuss on Jun 17, 2022 20:00:02 GMT
Ended up catching it finally and I don't regret it. Pretty good, much, much better the original film.
Besides the great action and technical brilliance, I think what makes it work is that unlike some of Cruise's other movies, it does recognize the passage of time and that he's getting too old for this, while at the same time showing it's not over for him just yet (like it was pointed out, a great metaphor for the time of big action star that Cruise is).
Oh, and yeah, the best scene is the one with Kilmer, certainly one of Cruise's finest moments.
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Post by Ryan_MYeah on Jun 24, 2022 5:39:54 GMT
I still haven’t seen the final polished film yet (I’m going to. I’ve been waiting for my mother to have the free time, because she wanted to go with me, and I’m getting pissed off that she keeps pushing it back), but there was one detail back in the test screening that bothered me.
So, the entire deal is that Miles Teller is Goose’s son, but that kid had to be like… 3 or 4 in the original movie, and if this is time accurate, Teller is playing either 39 or 40. And he don’t look no goddamn 40 xD
Like, is this something that bothered anyone else?
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Post by quetee on Jun 24, 2022 6:32:42 GMT
I still haven’t seen the final polished film yet (I’m going to. I’ve been waiting for my mother to have the free time, because she wanted to go with me, and I’m getting pissed off that she keeps pushing it back), but there was one detail back in the test screening that bothered me. So, the entire deal is that Miles Teller is Goose’s son, but that kid had to be like… 3 or 4 in the original movie, and if this is time accurate, Teller is playing either 39 or 40. And he don’t look no goddamn 40 xD Like, is this something that bothered anyone else? Im not sure how old the kid was supposed to be, I would guess between 2-4. Miles is 35 in RL though and what year does the movie take place?
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Post by Miles Morales on Jun 24, 2022 7:26:37 GMT
I still haven’t seen the final polished film yet (I’m going to. I’ve been waiting for my mother to have the free time, because she wanted to go with me, and I’m getting pissed off that she keeps pushing it back), but there was one detail back in the test screening that bothered me. So, the entire deal is that Miles Teller is Goose’s son, but that kid had to be like… 3 or 4 in the original movie, and if this is time accurate, Teller is playing either 39 or 40. And he don’t look no goddamn 40 xD Like, is this something that bothered anyone else? Im not sure how old the kid was supposed to be, I would guess between 2-4. Miles is 35 in RL though and what year does the movie take place? It was supposed to release in July 2019 initially then got delayed to 2020 due to VFX work, then the pandemic happened and you know the rest. So 2019 most likely.
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Post by JangoB on Jul 14, 2022 16:35:12 GMT
My first trip to the cinema since the end of February when I went for a second slice of Licorice Pizza. Can't think of a better way to get back to the movies!
A thrilling experience which left me with the biggest smile on my face when the end credits started rolling. At first I was a bit taken aback by the fact that the movie wasn't really too heavy on the action - there are occasional bursts of it throughout the main bulk of the flick but the major stuff comes on just in the final stretch. I wasn't sure how to feel about that (even if I was still enjoying what I was seeing) but when the amazing finale kicked in I came to a realization: during all that time that I thought needed a bit more action the movie was in fact sneakily making me care more and more about the characters. And when the planes went up in the air for the main mission I subconsciously knew that my eyes were glued to the screen not only because of how well the final flying extravaganza was pulled off but also becuase I was truly invested in the fates of the people sitting in those airplanes. And all of that made the thrill of the last chunk of the movie all the more massively thrilling.
Look, of course these aren't the most compelling characters out there and the script isn't a masterpiece of writing. It's all fairly boilerplate stuff. But man, the earnestness behind it is downright touching. When you see a reference to the 1986 film you don't cringe and sigh like you do with most of today's nostalgia-milking sequels and reboots - you feel that nothing but care and love for the OG has been poured into this long-awaited sequel. This movie truly makes the events of the first one matter as they inform everything about the proceedings and Maverick himself. There's something old fashioned about the way the flick treats its characters and its storytelling - despite all the technological advancements the film feels like it belongs to an era of blockbusters with feeling rather than an age of theme park movies (not that there's anything too wrong with those though).
So yeah, the hype was real. It's a splendid spectacle with a huge heart. And Cruise yet again shows that he can be the most charismatic and appealing star/actor when he wants to be. It's less about the stunts here and more about an actual relationship he develops with his character and with the cast around him. You may come in craving another big Tom Cruise circus show but you leave falling in love with Pete Mitchell as a hero of the story. I don't mind superficial action films which you watch just for the fun of it but there's a world of difference between that and a big loud blockbuster which actually makes you give a fuck about its human element. This is where the movie's triumph really lies. Even though the filmmaking itself is marvelous too.
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