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Top Gun: Maverick
Movie

Top Gun: Maverick

2022 • Action, Drama

Woke Score
1
out of 10

Plot

The story involves Maverick confronting his past while training a group of younger Top Gun graduates, including the son of his deceased best friend, for a dangerous mission.

Overall Series Review

Top Gun: Maverick is an adrenaline-fueled blockbuster that rejects the divisive identity politics common in contemporary media, instead focusing on universal themes of merit, sacrifice, and legacy. The narrative centers on a singular, high-stakes military mission, grounding the story in technical skill and personal responsibility. The new crop of elite pilots, while diverse in race and gender, are defined exclusively by their call signs, tactical performance, and ability to execute the mission requirements. Maverick's character arc is a journey of masculine maturity, moving from a reckless loner to a mentor who is willing to sacrifice his career and life for his team. The film is overtly patriotic, celebrating the traditional institution of the US Navy and the value of human skill over reliance on automated technology. Sexual and political content is absent, with the focus remaining tightly on action and the emotional bond between the pilots. The primary conflict is a personal and professional one between two white male characters, Maverick and Rooster, reflecting a drama about inherited trauma and reconciliation. Female characters are presented as capable, successful professionals and mothers without ever lecturing on gender dynamics or vilifying the male figures.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The pilot class features racial and gender diversity, but characters are selected and succeed purely on merit, not on immutable characteristics. The main white male characters, Maverick and Hangman, face criticism, but this is due to personal flaws like recklessness or arrogance, not due to inherent privilege. The narrative does not contain any theme of systemic oppression or lecture on intersectional hierarchy.

Oikophobia1/10

The movie is deeply patriotic, celebrating the US Navy, military service, and American exceptionalism in aviation. The narrative is entirely focused on successfully defending national interests against an unnamed enemy, which avoids foreign demonization but also rejects any theme of civilizational self-hatred. Respect for the sacrifices of ancestors and the preservation of national institutions are core themes.

Feminism2/10

The female pilot, Phoenix, is established as a highly skilled and competent pilot who earns her place on the mission through merit, with her gender being irrelevant to her skill set. The romantic lead, Penny, is a self-sufficient single mother who dictates the terms of her relationship with Maverick. The film avoids emasculating male figures and instead champions a mature form of masculinity based on leadership and self-sacrifice.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie contains no explicit LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or social commentary. The romantic relationship is a traditional heterosexual one, and the narrative centers the nuclear family concept through Maverick's fatherly relationship with Rooster and Penny's relationship with her daughter. Sexuality is private and confined to a normative structure.

Anti-Theism1/10

The core themes are built around personal sacrifice, mentorship, forgiveness, and reconciling with past guilt, aligning with objective moral and spiritual truths. There is no explicit discussion of religion, but no hostility or vilification of faith is present. The movie embraces transcendent morality by focusing on duty, honor, and courage.