Ariel sequences were great, but the lazy plot and story could have been so much better.
I think the problem is that Maverick was a 2D character, and one of those dimensions hung on being young, cheeky and good-looking. Thirty years on only the risk taking fighter pilot dimension survives and so to bring Top Gun back, they borrowed far to many themes from the first movie; Hard-ass superiors, Maverick on his last chance, best of the best, hard deck, cocky pilots, pilot rivalry, mysterious enemy. There is really nothing new here, Even for the sentimentality they lazily just relied on the Goose sub-plot line.
I think the problem is that Maverick was a 2D character, and one of those dimensions hung on being young, cheeky and good-looking. Thirty years on only the risk taking fighter pilot dimension survives and so to bring Top Gun back, they borrowed far to many themes from the first movie; Hard-ass superiors, Maverick on his last chance, best of the best, hard deck, cocky pilots, pilot rivalry, mysterious enemy. There is really nothing new here, Even for the sentimentality they lazily just relied on the Goose sub-plot line.