20 Movies You Weren't Expecting To Make You Cry

Top Gun: Maverick is one of the most shockingly great movies... possibly ever, to be honest. It's a sequel to an '80s film that hasn't aged well, and the trailers looked solid at best, so this being arguably one of the greatest films of the 2020s was totally unexpected.

The key to Maverick's magic is the way it's able to mix euphoric and explosive action sequences with soulful character drama. No word of a lie, this is a deeply affecting look at guilt and grief, featuring many powerful, splendidly-written moments of quiet contemplation and anchored by one of Tom Cruise's best performances in the lead role. Hans Zimmer's exquisite musical score makes the whole thing even more emotional, and Lady Gaga's beautiful theme song, 'Hold My Hand', would be a great cry-in-the-car song for anyone. 

There's a particularly effective scene with returning character Iceman (Val Kilmer), who's now dying of cancer, having a final, poignant conversation with Captain Mitchell (Cruise). He has to do this mostly through text on his computer, as his throat cancer has mostly taken his voice. 

This moment hit especially hard due to its real-world links. Kilmer famously survived throat cancer, and, much like Iceman in this sequence, he could no longer speak clearly due to his throat surgery. Of course, much like Iceman, Kilmer is no longer with us, so this is a movie that's going to get even more powerful with time.