Thirty-six years after the first film, audiences had the opportunity to bundle into theatres to view Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited sequel to 1986’s Top Gun. Reaching Mach-10, the action sequel hauled in more than a billion dollars at the worldwide box office and became the global blockbuster of the year. Many directors and studios generally shy away from sequels for the simple fact that they are difficult to make. Recapturing the lightning in a bottle success of a first film is tough. However, building on a first installment’s foundation to meaningfully explore different stories and new characters is even more challenging. Top Gun: Maverick proves that this laborious task is achievable. Revisiting the Goose-Maverick relationship at its heart, making callbacks to fan-favorite moments from the original, and displaying the soaring technological advancements made during its lengthy absence, Top Gun: Maverick leaves audiences mesmerized.