Top Gun Maverick (4DX)
Top Gun Maverick 4DX may just be the highest cinematic experience of a lifetime! With its solid story, great action, and ability to honor the original Top Gun film, Maverick adds so much more and does not fail to deliver to Top Gun fans. Maverick does a great job of making things exciting, cracking a joke when things get serious, touching your heart when you least expect it, and presenting you with an amazing adventure.
From the acting to the filmmaking, to the sounds and music, there is much to enjoy. An already great film made even better by a premium experience. If you can see Top Gun Maverick in 4DX, ScreenX, or IMAX you are in for a great time!
The Story
At the end of Top Gun, Maverick was considered to be the elite pilot of their fleet. One of the largest questions many have is simply, how is Maverick still at rank of Captain at his age? How is he still flying? Typically, those with good service move up in rank. To the delight of fans of the original, the filmmakers do a great job of explaining this via practical conditions. Additionally, the decision making that allows Maverick to retain his position as a high-ranking Captain within the Navy manages to be touching to the audience when it’s explained.
In Top Gun Maverick, no story time is wasted. Every moment you see is either a part of the ongoing plot, or an explanation behind the individual’s life which explains their decisions in the changing circumstances. When Maverick is brought back to Top Gun to teach new pilots, he promptly wishes to do otherwise with his service. But as the best pilot the Navy has seen, he is easily the best to teach them about real combat and keep them alive.
From here, Maverick runs into his first major hurdle as being their teacher. Goose’s son is in Top Gun, a circumstance that Maverick neither desires nor wishes to address in his life. Feeling responsible for Goose’s, the weight feels crushing to him. Despite being a hardened soldier, love for his fellow troops runs deep beyond anything else. This reality plays out before you in a way that feels emotionally inescapable, and many did weep at the theater throughout specific scenes. It truly manages to touch your soul in a way few films can.
With Maverick now a teacher, the orders come down. Teach a group of 12 pilots to be ready for an impossible mission, then choose the best 6 for deployment. And this mission is so difficult, any other means to complete it would fail. So, they can’t send in a drone or missile from above to resolve it. They need live pilots with true grit to see this one to completion. It was both intense and thrilling. But will they be ready?
The Action
As you watch the movie, you may find yourself asking, “How did they make the CG look so real? And wow, that acting!” That’s because much of it isn’t CG, it’s actual footage of the actors in real military jets. Matter of fact, the US Navy had to step in and prevent Tom Cruise from flying an actual F-18 in the film. Despite the actors not piloting the jets, they are suited up within them, experiencing real g-forces. This attention to detail is complete with the actors undergoing real training regiments in order to prepare for each role.
The focus on realism in this manner makes the action so convincing, you don’t think about you, you feel it. When the action kicks in, Top Gun Maverick steals your attention. Once you’re made aware of the risks involved and how difficult it’ll be to survive the mission, the insanely difficult maneuvers heighten the drama in a way few films can.
But what really drives the action home is the perfection demanded of each individual. Complex maneuvers in choreographed unison by each pilot is the minimum of ensuring “miracles” happen on their mission. When they respond to threats in the air, you’ll be impressed by well shot the action is. Along with how deeply visceral the entire experience is. Even on subsequent viewings, it still commands your focus. And that’s without getting into the premium experiences!
4DX Experience
What makes Top Gun Maverick 4DX so unique is how fitting the translation is from the silver screen to chair. Pilots sit in seats, making the conversion to your seat in theater is flawless. You literally feel every motion of each pilot as their jet maneuvers in the air. The programming of the experience is absolutely spot on in every manner imaginable.
When the jets are making their hard maneuvers, you’ll be impressed by the synchronization and quick motions of your seat. This film makes the motions vigorous and constant, and if that doesn’t make you grab onto your seat the suspense will! But that doesn’t mean the 4DX isn’t without nuance. Even that has been nailed perfectly.
For example, in one scene someone gets hit with a pool cue. As the pool cue hits them, you are struck in the back simultaneously. So, you know exactly what it feels like. In one slick example, we see actions taking place on a boat at sea. You feel wind on your face, water drops across your body, and the motion of the boat matched to you seat. We even see fog used to emulate fire smoke, and in-theater flashes replicating explosions.
To say the 4DX is impressive is an understatement. It’s absolutely the coolest 4DX film to date. And in our opinion, the 4DX viewing might as well be called the Top Gun Maverick Experience. Because it is like no other 4DX film ever made and is easily our best 4DX experience to date. And that is no small statement for us to make.
ScreenX Experience
As if an amazing 4DX experience wasn’t enough, the filmmakers have managed to create one of the coolest ScreenX films ever made. Boasting over 56 minutes of full 270° ScreenX footage, Maverick offers a slick presentation and a great option for those avoiding the movements of 4DX. The wide-angle view of the action surrounding makes the onscreen action so feel incredibly fast, and it can be overwhelming to the senses (in a great way)!
Being able to view objects flyby so quickly has never been more convincing in ScreenX. Having seen many films this way, we can attest that you cannot help but be impressed by how well the filmmakers captured the perspective of pilots moving at supersonic speed. The only way ScreenX could be even more amazing is if you could get the 4DX Prime viewing of Top Gun Maverick. Which combines 4DX and SceenX into one complete package.
If this wasn’t enough, another great thing the ScreenX offers you is additional service to the supporting cast. When the camera focuses on a single character in the center, supporting cast members are often captured on the side screens. Which is something you wouldn’t even know about unless you saw Maverick in standard widescreen format. Watching these characters add their acting into the story is a fine touch that the filmmakers must be commended for. If you can see Top Gun Maverick in a premium way, I can’t recommend it enough.
Final Thoughts
Humans were not designed to fly. This is what makes Top Gun Maverick’s movie magic so exceptional. We continue to come together to achieve the impossible and exceed our natural potential.
What may seem like a fun action film manages to be so much more. It’s about the challenges we face in life, the demons we seemingly can’t conquer, commitment to our decisions, loyalty, dedication, sacrifice, striving to be the best we can be, and the human cost of keeping the world safe. And no matter the costs, always do our utmost to bring our fine men and women home safely.
Top Gun Maverick is an absolute must for anyone that loves a great story with amazing characters. The Top Gun pilots are more than team members, they’re family. And this detail in the storytelling will move you in ways few films can. The story can feel so real it can bring you to tears. As some of it can hit so close to home. But no matter how you see it, Top Gun Maverick is a film you will never forget.
Memorial Day Message
Being born and raised in San Diego, we want to take a moment to pay our respects to our troops this Memorial Day. Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard, we our thankful for your service!
Please consider supporting our troops and their families. There are many charities you can donate your time and/or money to. If you’re looking to make a donation, please make a donation to these great charities:
For those that make a donation, thank you so much!
See the Trailer for Top Gun Maverick
Would you like to know more?
- You can also check out our reviews regarding 4DX and ScreenX releases.
- Not to mention, you can browse our film reviews by film Genre.
