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TOP GUN: MAVERICK PARENTS GUIDE – Is it Kid Friendly?

Wondering if Top Gun: Maverick is ok for kids? This Top Gun: Maverick Parents Guide tells parents what they need to know regarding language, violence, and mature content. This long-awaited sequel to Top Gun is a thrilling ride that actually does the first film justice.

Top Gun Maverick Parents Guide

Top Gun: Maverick Parents Guide

After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen. Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend, Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose”.

Maverick keeps telling everybody he’s not a teacher. Maverick must face the ghosts of his past as well as earn Rooster’s forgiveness. If he lets him fly on this dangerous mission, he may not make it home, but if he doesn’t, then Rooster will never forgive him. Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.

Why is Top Gun: Maverick Rated PG-13?

Top Gun: Maverick is rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and strong language which means some material may not be suitable for kids.

Parents need to know that Top Gun: Maverick does have some language and mature content that some young viewers may not be able to handle.

Language in Top Gun: Maverick

There are a lot of uses of sh*t, a couple uses of a**, damn, son of a bit*h, piss, balls, a use of d*ckhead, and a use of f*ck. There are also uses of Deity including g-ddamn.

Mature Content

Characters kiss and there is a scene with implied sex but there is no nudity and it’s not particularly racy. 

Characters drink alcohol in a bar and are seen inebriated. 

A scene shows a bunch of shirtless men playing beach football. 

There are some emotionally heavy scenes with characters in peril, deaths, planes exploding and getting hit, and planes fighting with guns and missiles. 

Intense scenes of flying may cause sickness for some. A flashback scene shows the death of a beloved character.

Is Top Gun 2 Kid Friendly?

Top Gun: Maverick is mostly kid friendly for kids who can handle the action and emotional scenes. The mission is a dangerous one and the stakes are high.

Top Gun 2 kid friendly

Is Top Gun: Maverick Appropriate for Kids Under 12?

Top Gun 2 is not as scandalous as the original Top Gun was, but Maverick does have to deal with his past. I don’t know about you, but I’m still mourning Goose. And Miles Teller looks just like Anthony Edwards in Top Gun.

But this movie is about moving on from your past, and it’s exactly what it accomplishes. While I would have loved to see Meg Ryan or other characters from the first film, the decision to look forward was the right one. Top Gun: Maverick is not bloated fan service, and it hits you with the right amount of nostalgia. 

If your kids love planes and flying then they’ll love this movie! With little CGI, you get the full action effects. The flying scenes are incredible and the close up shots of the pilots in the planes and facial expressions add to the intensity. It puts the first film to shame. While Top Gun: Maverick may be too intense for younger ones, if they’ve seen the first, then they should be ok with this sequel. 

This is what a summer blockbuster should be and tons of action, heart, and lessons learned. The nods and Easter Eggs from the original are perfectly blended in. You all remember who Penny is, right?

Top Gun: Maverick is fast-paced, thrilling, emotional, and sets the bar for sequels. As long as you think kids are mature enough to handle some of the scenes, then this is a movie for families with older kids to enjoy. It’s one of the top movies of 2022!

Top Gun Maverick Parent Guide Review