Teerth Ujjawal’s review published on Letterboxd:
A beautiful cinematic experience.
This surpasses the original in every way. I watched the original when this was released and I didn't want to destroy my expectations and therefore it was my decision to not watch this in the cinemas then. And I wasn't able to digest all of you saying how good this movie was. But anyway, after this IMAX watch, I can pretty much say that this might be the best sequel to any film that I've seen till now other than Godfather II (out of all that come into my mind right now). That might be an overstatement but I'm serious. The Original definitely had the music and the retro vibes of the 80s and this also takes some beats from that but it isn't much and it isn't less, its just adequate. The film takes the storytelling to new heights and assures us of each and every character that we're supposed to know and care about. The film comes across as patriotic as well, and I don't like much of those kinda films because the ones marketed that way have a forced feel of patriotism which keeps the flow of those movies going covered under those prevalent flaws. In here, it wasn't the case. They established characters 3 decades ago and then they feed upon those emotions which makes us feel more for them. The story was kinda predictable from the start but when they get to the ending of Act II, it goes completely ambiguous and twisted from there which I really liked. Every move from then on that I was expecting didn't happen, and those acts concluding the film made me appreciate the film more. Its a visual feast, with great acting from everyone and the writing done minimally at a phenomenal level. In short, this film takes all the good things of the original and incorporates them in here in the most effective way possible. The negative weight that Tom Cruise has been carrying all these years was prevalent and really present in his dialogues and his acting throughout the film. Coverage of all the character development was not spread out and was done really confidently by Joseph Kosinski. They felt real at all times. And the action, flawless. I'm definitely coming to this for a rewatch soon in the hope that I'd enjoy this even more and increase the rating to a perfect 5. Overall, its a great film and I think that the people born during the time the original was released who are much older than me would've enjoyed and gone through much more than me if I talk about a rollercoaster of emotions. Jeez, What a Time to be Alive!
