Review: The ‘Top Gun’ sequel is a refreshing return to danger

Tom Cruise jumps on his sleek motorbike, wearing Aviator sunglasses and a leather jacket with patches, and accelerates through a time machine early in “Top Gun: Maverick.” That is not correct. We are the ones who go back in time.

After smirking his way to the haughty heights of the ’80s as the renegade Navy pilot dubbed Maverick, Cruise seamlessly takes up the role in a new chapter of “Top Gun” that is an utterly, fully entertaining ride — a perfect example of how to produce a sequel.

Cruise is back, portraying his rebel test pilot now based in a forgotten part of the Mojave Desert, a mere captain when he should be a general since he continues to defy authority. Maverick’s impetuous, hot-headed personality hasn’t changed over the years. Pilots, he claims, do not ruminate. “You believe you’re dead up there,” he says. Cruise at his most Cruise-like, coiled, confident, and arrogant, fangs glittering in the sunlight.