Tony Scott’s “Top Gun” was a huge achieved commercial success in 1986 and has maintained a brilliant legacy ever since. More than three decades later, Joseph Kosinski gave us “Top Gun: Maverick,” the critically acclaimed sequel that understands the inner workings of a thrilling blockbuster. Kosinski leans heavily on Tom Cruise’s commitment to direction, and Maverick is still as plucky and unpredictable as in Scott’s original – which is precisely the source of conflict in the blockbuster sequel. Part of the film’s appeal is the specialized planes that the characters (mostly Maverick) pilot, where every design detail and prop plays an instrumental role in selling us the fantasy of “the fastest man alive.”
The film opens with Maverick at the controls of the experimental Darkstar, a fictional craft designed by Lockheed Martin engineers. There aren’t many special effects tricks at play here, as a full-scale model of the craft was built to make the hypersonic plane believable. In “Top Gun: Maverick,” the Darkstar is scheduled to conduct test flights soon, and Maverick is tasked with testing its highest speed while adhering to safety regulations. As planned, he pushes the craft beyond its limits while ignoring orders, determined to fly the Darkstar beyond Mach 10. To everyone’s surprise, he accomplishes the impossible, even though the craft crashes in the Mojave Desert after reaching the Mach 10.2 mark.
While we can understand that Mach is a unit of airplane speed, the film doesn’t explain what it is or put things into context. Even though we have no idea how fast Mach 10 actually is, it’s clear that it is. too fast for an experimental aircraft like the Darkstar with a risk-taker like Maverick at the helm.
Calculating the exact speed of a plane at Mach 10 is trickier than you think
Simply put, Mach is the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound. But as speed increases, the compression of air molecules around a plane changes. The speed of sound is said to be 343 m/s (meters per second), which can be roughly understood as 761 miles per hour. The fictional Darkstar is a hypersonic jet (like any plane flying above Mach 5) that reaches Mach 10 quite quickly, so we have to suspend our beliefs here. For reference, the fastest manned aircraft ever flown in real life was the X-15, which flew at Mach 6.7 (2,298 m/s, or about 4,500 miles per hour).
Although the Darkstar quickly reaches Mach 10, it experiences problems such as overheating, as Maverick struggles to pilot the craft. But it manages to reach Mach 10.2, which is just over 10 times the speed of sound at sea level. If we connect these theoretical dots, we can come to the conclusion that Mach 10.2 is about 7,800 miles per hour, but again, this has never been done before, so there is some guesswork. Even by theoretical standards, this is a bit insane, as it would require the plane to fly above 40,000 feet, and anyone ejected from the plane would be killed instantly due to the weight to air density ratio. The fact that Maverick was able to do all of this and live can simply be attributed to the fact that, in this film’s world, he was constructed differently.
But actions have consequences, so Maverick is about to be fired and is tasked with training a group of gifted young recruits tasked with a rather impossible mission.
Top Gun: Maverick uses its Mach 10 opening sequence to pay homage to the original
“Top Gun: Maverick” sets the stage not only to remind audiences of Maverick’s personality, but also to draw a parallel with its predecessor, in which Maverick (Cruise) pilots the F-14A Tomcat, while Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) acts as a radar intercept officer. During the final mission to intercept two hostile MiG-28s, Maverick defies orders to land because he wants to ensure that his wingman, Cougar (John Stockwell), is able to land safely after going into shock. Mav is nevertheless reprimanded, as naval aviators are expected to adhere to certain rules (which Maverick regularly struggles against).
The sequel tells Maverick confronting his past while sifting through his memories and regrets. There’s a lot of baggage attached to the training of Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller), Goose’s son, who resents him and blames him for his father’s death. This is the emotional charge of “Top Gun: Maverick”, even if the mission of the uranium enrichment plant is the Climactic Spectacle™ towards which the film gradually builds. Nostalgia isn’t just an embellishment here, as the F-14A Tomcat (which plays a role in Goose’s heartbreaking death) is front and center during the climax, fulfilling a role that is both emotional and exhilarating.
Maverick’s Mach 10 streak is not only proof of his aerial machismo, but a reminder that the man was stubborn about letting go of the past. This isn’t always a bad thing, as he uses this perspective to push the limits of his new crew, who achieve precisely the impossible. because Maverick refuses to follow the rules. It’s a business fraught with risk, but “Top Gun: Maverick” makes it a celebration of life and the bonds that sustain such an adrenaline-charged existence.
