Maverick:  Was excited our small-town theater brought this one back this weekend so I got to see it in the theater.  I'm so glad I did.  Top Gun: Maverick hit all the marks for me. It's what I would hope for and expect from a Top Gun sequel.  In doing so it didn't go over the top and did a great job blending the original movie into what we see here.  The acting, the story, the nods to the original movie, the music, the goose bump moments, how they handled Goose and Ice - it all worked.  Tom Cruise fought to wait out the pandemic to make sure this was seen in theaters and boy did that pay off.  It is now seventh all-time now in domestic money having just passed Titanic.  Worldwide it has brought in $1.3 billion!  This is one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in a while.  I think I've gotten my point across.  As you have surmised, I highly recommend this to everyone.  You don't need to see the original to enjoy this installment either.