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The long awaited top gun Consequence, Top Gun: Maverick, is finally here and has proven to be a great film in its own right. Unlike many recent legacy sequels Top Gun: Maverick would be just as strong if the original film had never existed. It’s a compelling father-son story on its own terms, whether viewers are familiar with Goose or not.
It’s been a delight to see returning icons like Tom Cruise as Maverick and Val Kilmer as Iceman in the sequel, but the newcomers to the cast are just as compelling. Goose’s son and his cohorts each have their own distinctive personalities that clash and click in different traits as Maverick tries to mobilize them as a team.
9 Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson
Jon Hamm agrees top gun Universum in the sequel starring Vice Admiral Beau “Cyclone” Simpson, commander of the Naval Air Forces. A strict military bureaucrat, Cyclone only recruits Maverick at Iceman’s behest and doesn’t think he has anything else to offer the Navy.
Throughout the film, Cyclone provides a great comedic foil for Maverick. Hamm plays each scene squarely opposite Cruise, who is enjoying his retaliation against Pete Mitchell.
8th Amelie Benjamin
Amelia Benjamin is only a small part in the top gun Sequel – she’s the droll teenage daughter of Maverick’s love interest Penny – but she has some hilarious moments with Maverick.
In perhaps the film’s funniest moment, Amelia witnesses Maverick trying to climb out of her mother’s bedroom window. Then, in one of the sweetest moments, she simply tells him not to break her mother’s heart again.
7 Lieutenant Robert “Bob” Floyd
The mission candidates in Top Gun: Maverick could have been a collection of action movie clichés, but they’re all well-rounded characters. They don’t have superficial tragic backstories, but they do have distinctive personalities.
The shyest of the bunch, Bob, is played by Lewis Pullman. Pullman brings the same dry joke to Bob that he brought to Major Major Major Major in the catch-22 miniseries.
6 Sarah Kasansky
Jean Louisa Kelly has a small but memorable role in Top Gun: Maverick as Sarah Kazansky, Iceman’s wife. Kelly introduces Val Kilmer’s cameo as an aging Iceman. To do justice to Kilmer’s appearance in the film, Ice’s wife explains that he has the same illness as the actor himself.
This scene is a real tearjerker, as Maverick’s heartfelt reunion with Iceman feels like Cruise meta-tip Kilmer himself for a lifetime of great accomplishments.
5 Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain
Like Jon Hamm, Ed Harris plays a tough military bureaucrat with a disdain for Maverick in the top gun Consequence. And like Hamm, Harris makes a hilariously dead slide for Cruise.
Rear Admiral Chester “Hammer” Cain is Maverick’s direct superior at the beginning of the film. He’s the head of the Darkstar program, constantly threatening to divert Maverick’s funding (and ending up egg in the face when it’s revealed Maverick has the piloting skills to meet his ridiculous demands).
4 Lieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace
Monica Barbaro gives one of the most memorable performances by missionary candidates in Top Gun: Maverick in the role of Lieutenant Natasha “Phoenix” Trace. Phoenix is one of the funniest jokes on the team, but she’s also one of their most loyal friends.
She’s one of the few recruits who’s really nice to Bob. Maverick and Rooster star in the final fight, but Phoenix has some glory moments as she flies into battle with Bob.
3 Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin
Lieutenant Jake “Hangman” Seresin is the Iceman of this generation. Much like Iceman in the original film, Hangman is a gifted pilot, he’s hysterically arrogant, and he loves to bust the protagonist’s chops. And in the end it turns out that he has a heart of gold.
Glen Powell gives a typically hilarious turn to the role, blending into his character’s brash, confident demeanor with the same satirical self-perception he brought to his previous roles as a frat boy.
2 Penny Benjamin
Technically, Penny Benjamin was credited in the original top gun Movie. But it’s just an off-the-cuff remark by Goose regarding “an admiral’s daughter.” Jennifer Connelly plays Penny, an enduring love affair whose recent involvement with Maverick may remain this time around.
Normally, the romantic subplots of action movies feel contrived and unnecessary, but this one is actually compelling because Connelly shares palpable chemistry with Cruise, and Maverick and Penny have a lot in common with their comparable parental struggles.
1 Lieutenant Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw
Maverick coaching Goose’s son could have been a gimmick premise for one top gun continued, but Top Gun: Maverick does it beautifully with a strong emotional arc in which Maverick works to win over his late wingman’s son. This story isn’t just a nod to Goose’s legacy; It’s a great story in itself.
Miles Teller plays “Rooster” as his own brand of rebellious hotshot flyboy; he doesn’t just do an Anthony Edwards impression to evoke nostalgia for the original. He develops a palpably estranged father-son dynamic with Cruise as their tensions gradually ease as the film progresses.
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