8.6 | / 10 |
Users | 5.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Bashir SalahuddinAction | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1, 1.90:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Top Gun seemed prime for some sort of sequel the minute it launched in theaters in May 1986. Fortunately, that sequel never materialized until 2022 (earlier Covid delays notwithstanding) with Top Gun: Maverick, a toned and total package film that propels the franchise forward while still holding to the essential characteristics and underpinnings from the original picture. The film does what it needed to do some 35 years later: offer a more mature lead character training the next generation of Top Gun pilots for a dangerous mission. The film capably looks forward and backward, taking the best of what made the original film a landmark of its time while constructing firmer drama and deeper characterization around it. Cruise has repeatedly stated that he would refuse a sequel were it not spot-on for story and characterization, and he has delivered a practically perfect cinema experience that pushes boundaries while holding fast to the Top Gun character and charisma that has made that original one of the most beloved films of its, or any, time. This one is sure to follow in those giant shoes.
In a word: flawless. Top Gun: Maverick arrives on Bu-ray with a perfect 1080p transfer (with shifting aspect ratios). The picture pushes Blu-ray to its absolute limit, reaching a level of flawless definition and detail and perfect color reproduction that will absorb even the most ardent videophile. Skin textures are simply remarkable. The level of clarity, intimacy, depth, and definition to pores and hairs seem to push beyond what Blu-ray can do. Location details are just as striking, and even aerial photography outside of planes and inside of cockpits manages to reveal the absolute best in every square inch of the frame. Color reproduction is perfect. Balance is spot-on, contrast is dialed in just right, whites are brilliant, blacks are deep, primaries pop with commanding authority, and skin tones look healthy and true. There are zero flaws with this one.
The Atmos track is likewise perfect. That's unsurprising for a film that is the biggest release of 2022, which is also a big budget spectacle with countless opportunities for sonic excellence. It's the mach-10 equivalent of home theater sound mixing and Atmos audio presentation. The entire thing is a marvel, and it nearly defies review. It's simply perfectly balanced through the full range, from subtle sound cues to thunderous bass. Jet engine roars are deep and potent, hitting for all it's worth without falling into unbalanced, wonky rumble. Jets scream across the stage with pinpoint placement and seamless movement one end to another. Gunfire late in the film is terrifyingly and dangerously intense. Overheads carry a number of necessary supports that further draw the listener into the skies and the cockpits. There's always a perfect sense of weight to the whole aircraft dynamic, and the same is true of score: it's seamlessly immersive, perfectly clear, and presented with incredible bass. Dialogue is clear and front positioned for the duration. It just doesn't get better than this.
Top Gun: Maverick's Blu-ray release includes four featurettes, which are great, and two music videos. The film screams for more, but what is
here is great. No DVD copy is included. However, Paramount has bundled
in a digital copy code. Also included is an embossed slipcover.
Top Gun: Maverick is really something else. In a world of cookie-cutter, generic, bland cinema, this is what movie making is all about: it's a sequel, yes, but it's a sequel with heart, determination, focus, and visual and aural wonder. It's comfortable but groundbreaking, fast but absorbing, heartfelt yet still willing to fly by the seat of its pants. Credit Tom Cruise for his insistence on making a movie right, for caring about building a true, thrilling experience that is surprisingly one of the best movies of the year and one of the best entertainment escapes in many, many decades. Paramount's Blu-ray delivers perfect picture and sound. Supplements are little on the thin side, but they do well to capture the essence of the behind-the-scenes story. Watch for this film to be at the top of my best-of list for 2022. Top Gun: Maverick earns my highest recommendation.
with Lenticular Magnet and Signed Poster
2022
with Lenticular Magnet
2022
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1986
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Collector's Edition
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