Glen Powell thinks 'Top Gun: Maverick' "raises the bar in every way".

The 33-year-old actor stars in the action sequel as Lieutenant Jake 'Hangman' Seresin and thinks that the new blockbuster surpasses the iconic 1986 original film that made Tom Cruise a leading star in Hollywood.

Speaking to IndieWire, Glen said: "I thought that movie is magical. It's lasted for a reason. And over the years, as I've watched it, many, many times and shared it with many people, it hasn't lost a bit of that magic.

"I think to return to it was kind of a daunting idea, definitely daunting for Tom, who I know was hesitant to do it because retreading on the movie that made him a movie star is a lot. How to beat it? How to return to that tone?"

Powell continued: "I think what's incredible about what we did in 'Top Gun: Maverick', we took that tone, updated it, made the aerial sequences even more extreme, and took a character and a story and really found a way that was new and fresh.

"I just think the timing, especially with the technology, the IMAX cameras in the back of these jets and putting real actors back there, I think we raised the bar in every way."

Glen was amazed to work alongside Cruise on the movie and was impressed with how the actor cared for the rest of the cast.

The 'Hidden Figures' actor said of his co-star: "He's truly one of a kind. You and I both have been around Hollywood and movies and actors, and rarely do your heroes live up to your expectations. And Tom is one of those guys who's just so special.

"Movie stars tend to push themselves away from the pack, and he's a guy that really cares about everybody, all the young guns in this movie, he really made sure that we looked as cool as possible on camera, were taken care of, listened to, and had an amazing ride."