Whatever you think of the man, you've gotta hand it to Tom Cruise the movie star. Over a 40-year career he's battled couches, motion-smoothing TVs, COVID set breaches and the spectre of professional obsolescence with a pathological zeal that's practically supernatural, channelling a brand of hotshot American idealism that's become almost endearing, or at least sufficiently cartoonish to be abstract.
He might be the hardest working man in (movie) show business, but if the critical buzz surrounding his 36-years-in-the-making sequel Top Gun: Maverick is any indication, he's about to be tasked with his biggest challenge yet: single-handedly rescuing the blockbuster from the clutches of IP-enamoured corporations and their superhero cheerleaders.
