Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer's reunion in Top Gun Maverick is 'too cheap', says Quentin Tarantino

Director Quentin Tarantino has become the latest high-profile fan of Tom Cruise's blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick. In a recent interview, the celebrated filmmaker praised the film but also criticized one particular scene from it, calling it "almost too cheap". Tarantino, did, however, emphasize that apart from that scene, he loved the film. 

Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to Tom's 1986 cult classic Top Gun and sees the actor reprise his iconic role of Naval aviator Pete Mitchell. The film also stars Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm. Val Kilmer, who had a supporting role in the original, also reprised his role in Maverick, appearing in a cameo. His character was shown to be dying of throat cancer, something Val has himself battled with in real life.

Appearing on CinemaBlend's ReelBlend podcast, Quentin Tarantino said he found that reunion "almost too cheap." He then added, "But it absolutely works. It's a bit like Charlie Chaplin dying on stage for the last scene of Limelight...but it f***ing works. You're waiting for it and the f***ing scene delivers."

The filmmaker added that he loved the film as it provided 'a true cinematic spectacle'. He praised the film for respecting the work of Tony Scott, who had directed the 1986 original. "I f***ing love Top Gun: Maverick. I thought it was fantastic. I saw it at the theaters. That and [Steven] Spielberg's West Side Story both provided a true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I'd almost thought that I wasn't going to see anymore. It was fantastic. [Director Joseph Kosinski] did a great job. The respect and the love of Tony was in every frame. It was almost in every decision. It was consciously right there, but in this really cool way that was really respectful. And I think it was in every decision Tom Cruise made on the film," he added.

Top Gun: Maverick is the highest-grossing film of the year, having earned over $1 billion at the box office. Since its release, it has outperformed superhero heavyweights like The Batman and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, much to the surprise of trade analysts.