Top Gun 3 avoids the key mistake Mission: Impossible repeated for six movies

In a time when sequels can feel like blatant cash grabs, Top Gun: Maverick was a revitalizing exception. It didn’t depend solely on nostalgia; it emotionally strummed a legacy with epic stunts, stunning storyline, and a powerful advancement of Maverick’s character.

Now, with Top Gun 3 taking flight, the franchise seems to be focusing on something rare in blockbuster filmmaking: learning from the past. In particular, it seems to be avoiding an integral flaw that has hurt Mission: Impossible for over a decade.

One director, one vision

Top Gun: Maverick (Image via Paramount Pictures)

As we wait for more info about Top Gun 3, one thing is set in stone, and that is Joseph Kosinski returning as the director. This is a good decision for the franchise.

The direction in Top Gun: Maverick had a significant amount of emotional weight, clean pacing, modern spectacle, and many more features, which are things that Kosinski has brought forward in the past. Bringing him back for the third one seems to create continuity, not just in the story but also in style, tone, and character development.

This is the area that Mission: Impossible has lacked for years. With the latest installments turning into a hit, the start was plagued with a rotating cast of directors like Brian De Palma, John Woo, J.J. Abrams, and Brad Bird.

Each one came up with their own, sometimes conflicting and unique, perspective, which didn’t help. There was a consistent rhythm after Christopher McQuarrie took over in the fifth film, named Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. That’s when the creative rhythm started.

Cruise & Company are back

Miles Teller and Glen Powell will also reprise their roles alongside Tom Cruise, who will return as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. With Kosinski directing once more, there is assurance that the characters will be afforded naturally evolving arcs, as should happen in any sequel.

It is also guaranteed that there will not be any complete retconning of the previous film. This original-plus-new-generation mix clicked in Maverick, so there is bound to be positive anticipation with him bringing back the trio.

Learning from the best — by avoiding their flaws

It's uncommon for Hollywood franchises to adopt practices from their counterparts in real-time, yet this is precisely what appears to be happening with Top Gun. Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible gradually discovered its rhythm, but it wasn't until Cruise's sixth installment that it settled into a consistent directorial vision.

In contrast, Top Gun is committing—after one sequel, admittedly—towards that direction.

Unlike its action-genre counterpart, Top Gun 3 appears to be adopting a preemptive approach. It isn’t just a sequel; it aims to be a meticulously planned installment designed to resonate with audiences who are already heavily invested.

If Kosinski and Cruise manage to balance the story with the emotional depth of Maverick, this saga stands a chance at pulling off the trick and demonstrating that sometimes the most effective way forward is to take a page from someone else’s blunders.