‘Top Gun: Maverick’ takes off with Tom Cruise on a rousing flight into the sequel zone

Nimbly mixing nostalgia and full-throttle action, “Top Gun: Maverick” soars higher than it has any right to, constructing a mostly terrific sequel 36 years later (including a Covid release delay), using a good but not great movie as its jumping-off point. That might not be enough to take your breath away, but as brawny summer entertainment goes, it comes shockingly close.