Top Gun: Maverick is an early contender for blockbuster of the year, a positively frenetic thrill ride from start to end.

It is a movie with a rare alchemy that honours the original but uses modern storytelling and technology to ultimately surpass it.

This is capital-E Entertainment of the highest order and you will likely leave the cinema ready to hop back in the cockpit with Maverick as soon as possible.

A runtime of just over two hours rushes past faster than an F35 jet fighter but does so in such a way that the emotional touch points are not glossed over.

After years of retrodden ground in the superhero CGI-laden blockbuster genre, this is the unique throwback hit that looks forward.

Mild spoilers to follow

Maverick follows an older Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Tom Cruise) who gets roped back into the Top Gun academy to train the next generation of aces.

Naturally, the rebellious and unwilling-to-follow-instruction Mitchell is only called back because a highly specific mission needs his expertise.

The movie sets an early tone that this anti-authoritarian streak remains strong, with against-order jet buzzes and a scene where the rulebook is literally thrown out.

It also wastes no time in putting Mitchell back in the air, which allows the still bankable Cruise to do what he does best, look completely at ease in extreme action situations.

The true magic of Maverick however, is that it finally gets Cruise to confront his aging.

For the first time in 30 years, we see him sharing top billing in the heroism stakes, anointing the new generation both in the movie and out.

He has come full circle since The Colour of Money, switching roles with Paul Newman to begin the next chapter in his movie star career.

This is one of a select few actors who has defined an entire generation of movie-going and you can feel in Maverick that he is all-in to deliver those last few leading man roles.

He is unsurprisingly pitch perfect in his performance and is joined by a strong new cast led by Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw (Miles Teller) the son of Maverick’s former partner, Goose.

The emotional scenes that this uneasy meeting brings are dealt with carefully, while a romance side plot with ex-flame Penny Benjamin also adds some welcome narrative relief.

But, of course, the main reason that this movie is so good is that the action sequences are some of the best ever committed to film.

Shot beautifully and for the most part, practically, no big screen outing has ever done a better job of capturing flight.

There is plenty of legitimate tension, peppered in among some over-the-top ridiculousness that feels right at home given the homage to the original.

Whether you are a returning fan, or not, you are bound to be enthralled by this incredible popcorn action flick out of the top drawer.

Watch it on the biggest screen you can.

Rated PG13 for language and violence.

4.5/5.