Top Gun: Maverick actually deserves a screenplay nomination

Tom Cruise's blockbuster takes audiences back to the movies, and it all starts on the page.

This year, two franchise films made the Best Picture Oscar list — Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: Way of Water. While "The Way of Water" only received nominations for offline technology, "Maverick" appeared to do well, entering the Best Adapted Screenplay category. The nomination drew an immediate and unsubstantiated backlash.

While the Academy Awards do honor Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy with many honors, they have been rather cautious about awarding major categories of blockbuster franchise films over the past few decades. The Best Picture category expanded to 10 nominations in part because of the Oscar backlash for not nominating The Dark Knight, but relatively few blockbusters have since been recognized in the category. It takes a real cultural milestone for a franchise film to make it to the Best Picture Oscar lineup, and only Toy Story 3, Mad Max: Fury Road, Black Panther, Joker, and this year's "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar: Way of Water" entered the best picture competition. But the backlash on Top Gun: Do Maverick's other online endorsements work?

None of 'Top Gun: Maverick’s Other Nominations Were Particularly Shocking

Of the ten races, it was one of the guaranteed frontrunners Best Picture Award. When it debuted, there was little doubt that its technical prowess would earn it nominations for sound, visual effects, editing and Lady Gaga's evocative original song "Hold My Hand." In fact, the denial of the best photo contest left some experts scratching their heads.

Competition to enter the Best Adapted Screenplay category does not appear to be strong this year; Maverick is joined by Best Picture nominees Women Talking and All Quiet On The Western Front, as well as Glass Onion (nod for Knives Out's original screenplay) and Living (A remake of the beloved classic by the nominated actors). The consensus among forecasters seems to be that Maverick's nomination comes at the expense of contenders such as The Whale (consistently divisive), She Said (financial disaster) or competing sequels The Way of Water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ( Although none of their predecessors entered).

'Top Gun: Maverick' Deserves Its Best Adapted Screenplay Nomination

While it's easy to watch Top Gun: Maverick's writing as "sliding into" an unlikely win, writers Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig, and Justin Marks are all well deserved nominations. The challenge for this team is not Same task as Sarah Polley or Rian Johnson, but that doesn't mean their accomplishments aren't worth anything. Maverick injects audiences with something that many contemporary blockbusters lack: emotion. Through sincerity, a respectful nod to the past, and a detailed structure, Maverick demonstrates its success in the words of its screenplay. Its nomination is fully deserved and should inspire other blockbusters to up their craft.

'Top Gun: Maverick' Explores the Legend of Maverick Himself

Top Gun: Maverick isn't the first "legacy sequel" to bring back its original character in a mentor role; Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Independence Day: Resurgence, Endgame Reader: Dark Fate, Tenet, and 2018's Halloween all did the same, with varying degrees of success. However, in addition to seeing Maverick return to show off his typically cheeky charisma, the movie also tries to understand why the man became a legend; "Star Charm" study. Why has Maverick never settled down and lived an ordinary life? Why was he not promoted? What drove him to risk his life?

Adrenaline rush in the original Mavericks come at a price, and the script makes subtle changes to the original characters. Maverick is no longer the womanizer he used to be, nor is his one-liner quite so callous as he sees friends snatched from him. In a way, Maverick's charisma is his way of hiding his inability to relate to others, and the few moments he opens up are very touching. In an age where most blockbusters feel aloof, it's hard to watch Maverick's conversation with Iceman (Val Kilmer) without tearing up. Maverick also manages to give the protagonist a compelling romance with a woman his own age, and the one with Penny (Jennifer Connelly) is simple but effective.

'Top Gun: Maverick' Introduces a New Fleet of Heroes

Top Gun: Maverick introduces a new cast of heroes that instantly become as recognizable as their predecessors from the original 1986 film; aerial combat sequences are resilient as we identify each pilot and what makes them unique. Individual characters are more than just carbon copies of the original cast, leading to some surprisingly sincere moments. At first it looks like the hangman (Glenn Powell) is just a smirking bully, but it's revealed All of his vitriolic remarks are motivated by the fear that he won't be there to save his crew.

However, the strongest interaction is between Maverick and Goose's son Rooster (Miles Teller). Both characters are struggling with the loss of a man who meant everything to them, and they're stuck in an awkward situation, not knowing how to proceed. Can Rooster forgive Maverick for putting his father in danger, even if that's what he wanted? Is Maverick willing to put his son in danger for Goose's will, even if it means losing two generations of friends? These are the moral questions that explore the heart of the action film.

'Top Gun: Maverick' Soars by Hitting the Right Notes

Blockbuster scripts tend to be rather confusing or overly complicated, but Top Gun: Maverick manages to set the stakes, the mission, and what the heroes must accomplish in a very accessible way. While there's no skimping on detail when it comes to detailing the flight ability, it's handled effectively as we see it in action; test-training sequences set up what the missions will look like, but they also flesh out the characters. this is a good way Simultaneously build bets ahead of the climax and learn more about the team that is about to be in jeopardy.

Figuring out a three-act structure seems like it should be easy, but we often see blockbusters fail at these simple tasks. Top Gun: Maverick's 2022 box office rivals like Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Fantastic Beasts: Dumbledore's Secret and Reign of Jurassic World are full of reshoots, future installments The setup and the disgusting "trailer line", they lack the emotion of Maverick. Maverick puts the audience back in the movie to feel something, and it all starts on the page.