Top Gun: Maverick - 4/5

This movie outshines its predecessor in every way. The plot is solid with outstanding pacing and storytelling. Even the gratuitous shots of jets being jets, which was the main draw of the original, are cleaner shots with smoother tracking in more dynamic locations. It offers a compelling story behind the action façade by doing away with the notion that a sequel needs to be bigger and more bombastic, a lesson the industry sorely needs to learn. If you don’t remember much of the original don’t worry: this film reminds the audience of the important plot points as they become relevant.

Closest comparison: It’s like Top Gun by way of Stealth (2005).

Setting: War
Plot: Spec Ops
Tone: Action

Top Secret! (1984) - 4/5

This screwball comedy hits a lot of the same notes as Airplane!, the previous film by the same director. It has the same deadpan visual gags, outlandish antics, and sprinkles of raunchy humor throughout that make Police Squad and the Naked Gun movies so beloved. The plot incorporates anachronisms that some viewers might fight distracting, but not nearly enough to account for its cultural obscurity. This movie is hilarious and a must-watch for fans of the director’s previous work.

Content warning: brief female nudity

Closest comparison: It’s like Airplane! by way of Spy Hard.

Setting: World War II
Plot: Espionage Thriller
Tone: Screwball Comedy