You Know What? I’ll Take Nostalgia…

A lot of people are ripping the new “Top Gun: Maverick” teaser trailer for representing a story all too familiar.  I’ll admit, the Top Gun sequel Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer are now selling us looks very much like the original.

At least right now…

However, even if “Top Gun: Maverick” turns out to be nothing but a trip down memory lane, I’ll be o.k. with it.

First — if you haven’t seen it yet, here is the first trailer for “Top Gun: Maverick”, released last week.

So, backing up a bit…on a related story.

I remember I was so mad when I went to the theater to watch “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (Episode 7).  I remember I was so angry because I was surprised to find Episode 7 was essentially a carbon copy of the original “Star Wars: A New Hope” (Episode 4).  It came as a total surprise to me.

You may ask, “Cooper, how could you feel that way about one movie and yet feel o.k. expecting that from another?”

I’ll tell you.

It’s because at least the people making “Top Gun: Maverick” aren’t trying to trick me into believing they have made something “completely new”.

The people who sold us “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, didn’t preview the plethora of familiar scenes.  They revealed all of those scenes AFTER we had paid the price of admission.

At least in Top Gun’s case, they’re giving us the “nostalgia pitch” up front.

You may know the phrase, “under sell – over deliver”.  I suspect that’s what “Top Gun: Maverick” may accomplish when all is said and done.