After years of delays due to shooting complicated action scenes and, of course, the pandemic, Top Gun: Maverick is now in theaters, finding itself in the midst of an extraordinary amount of praise from both fans and critics alike, calling it the blockbuster to beat this year.
The film flew straight to number one at the box office, breaking more than the speed of sound in doing so, shooting past Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End to become the highest-grossing movie released over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. It also marks the biggest box office opening for action star Tom Cruise, as the film becomes his first to debut over $100 million in his 40-year career.
But enough with the numbers, what’s really grabbed fans’ attention is supporting actress Jennifer Connelly. The star plays Cruise’s love interest Penny Benjamin, who was alluded to in the first film but never seen onscreen. Penny now takes center stage, stepping in for the original movie’s romantic partner, Charlie Blackwood, played by Kelly McGillis who wasn’t even approached to reprise her role).
Penny has had some history with Maverick, with the pilot having made some passes over the “admiral’s daughter” back in the opening installment. It would seem that the two have had an on-again-off-again relationship over the decades, and Penny is now a single mom running a bar frequented by the Top Gun crew, although she seems less than thrilled to see her former flame back.
The actress recently trended on Twitter. after the aerial epic awakened a new generation to her talent, whilst reminding others that she’s still got it.
These users was extremely alarmed when they saw the actress trending on Twitter, fearing the worst. Fortunately, their fears were alleviated when they realized everyone is simply thirsting over her instead.
Some look back to some of her earlier projects, where the actress seemed to constantly be releasing movies. Who could forget the crazy ride that was Labyrinth?
Though this user seems to forget that she still is…
With many having grown up with Connelly on their screens, having the younger generation “discover” her know makes them feel a tad old.
Some users just wanted to share shots from the film to highlight just how gorgeous the 51-year-old star is.
And at 51, she is probably one of the most age-appropriate love-interests Cruise, 59, has had in a long time.
The movie seems to balance itself nicely between insane action-packed sequences, and Connelly’s smoulder.
If you too want to go check out Connelly’s performance in the critically acclaimed sequel, Top Gun: Maverick is now showing in theaters.
