Top Gun

There are few movies that are considered classics that I have yet to see, but Top Gun was one of them. I was pretty tired of hearing the endless references and not understanding them, so I decided to finally sit down and give it a shot. It's enjoyable, but I think it was more of a product of it's time. It's better appreciated as an 80's film than a film in general. Now I don't mean that the effects don't hold up, because they do. I just feel like it had all the fruit at the right time, where as now some of them might be expired or just not as popular. Whether it was 'Take My Breath Away', a smash hit at the time, or Tom Cruise, a blossoming superstar actor, Top Gun is a good movie that was definitely considered great back in the day.

Maverick, one of the most famous film characters of all time, learns to become not just a better Navy pilot, but a more well rounded man. Tom Cruise has been better for sure but he has some fun with this role. But when you look at Collateral and even last years Edge of Tomorrow, Cruise is a legitimate actor, but I think at this point in his career he was just trying to make it big. He's extremely cocky and not particularly fond of anybody trying to tell him what to do. He needs wisdom and a life altering event that humbles him. Well he definitely gets both of those. But his cockiness is why the character became so famous. It's one of the main reasons why I think a sequel could be both great and potentially unnecessary. We go on a journey with Maverick throughout the film. A journey that changes his character quite a bit, so I'm not sure a second look at his character works. On the other-hand, knowing where his character ends up, it can be an interesting passing of the torch story if you will.

What I think was missing here was more of a back story with Maverick. We get a little bit with his father and a quick remark about his mother, but I would have liked to see more of how he became so cocky and conceded. I did enjoy the romance between Cruise and Kelly McGinnis, who has some of the most stunning eyes you will ever see. You can tell she was one of the few people that could get to him and help him through all the troubles he ends up going through.

+Effects hold up

+Kilmer and McGinnis' performance

+Music

-Needed more back story

-Too much of an 80's product

7.0/10

If there's ever proof of the cachet of Naval Aviation, this is it. Those poor Air Force guys got a trio of "Iron Eagle" flicks that went from bad to horrible, whereas the Navy flyboys got this great 1980's classic. Sure, it's cheesy and corny, but it makes the cheese and corn taste pretty damn good. A cynic might argue that it's just a two hour long Navy recruiting ad (one that worked for me, two years later I found my ass in Pensacola sweating through AOCS, short for Aviation Officer Candidate School, the program immortalized in "An Officer and a Gentleman") but by making a pro-Navy movie, the filmmakers also got invaluable technical assistance from top Navy aviators, and it shows.

For starters, although this movie takes numerous liberties in order to entertain, the basic setup, in which fighter pilots from the fleet get sent to NAS Miramar, aka, "Top Gun" for intensive training, is 100% accurate. The Navy, back during Vietnam, was getting sick of losing too many pilots in air-to-air combat. The problem, they discovered, was their fighter jocks had been trained for purely long-range missile interceptions, meaning they'd lost their dogfighting skills. And, in Vietnam, several American planes were accidentally shot down by their own side by missiles, so, as a safety factor, enemy planes had to be visually identified, meaning American pilots were back to engaging the enemy at short range, hence the need for dogfighting. The "Top Gun" school was started as a result, and the rest is history.

Now, back to the movie. Tom Cruise is Maverick, a hotshot pilot but also somewhat unstable. If "Risky Business" launched his career as a movie star, then "Top Gun" cemented it. Guys wanted to be like him, and women of course lusted after him. The plot is pure formula, but executed with consummate professionalism. The team who put this movie together knew exactly how to push all the right buttons. But the crème de la crème is surely the flying. I don't think that any movie, before or since, has ever rendered air combat in a more convincing and dramatic fashion. For nearly 100 years fighter pilots have been the modern equivalent of olden knights, men who brought a sense of glamour and romance to the deadly art of war, and this movie gives them a fitting tribute.

8/10

Hot shot fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) clashes with other pilots at Top Gun School while trying to prove himself and live down his father's bad reputation. He also makes time to get sexy with instructor Kelly McGillis, who may or may not have lost that lovin' feelin'. What an awesome movie. Who doesn't love Top Gun? It made Tom Cruise a household name, gave us countless quotable lines, and has one of the best soundtracks ever. Yeah, it's cheesy and formulaic but it's also a lot of fun. Hey, it's got a mustachioed Anthony Edwards playing a dude called Goose! How cool is that? One word of caution for all the young guys out there: following a woman into the ladies room will not work out well for you. Only Maverick can pull that off and get away with it.

It is bizarre to define it or to give an opinion about it. It is legendary, the perfect mix of heroism, love, soundtrack and... Tom Cruise, rivalry and fly. Maybe, its lovely simplicity is the key of huge succes. And the discover of basic, small things defining us.

"On March 3, 1969 the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to insure that the handful of men who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world."

So starts this action masterpiece from director Tony Scott. Hot shot pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) gets a chance to attend Fighter Weapons School or Top Gun in Miramar when his lead Cougar loses it in the air. He's met by cold as ice Iceman (Val Kilmer) as his calculating competition. He always has his navigator Goose (Anthony Edwards) by his side. He constantly tries to prove himself running on instinct against his father's perceived failed mission. Top Gun commanding officer is Viper (Tom Skerritt) and Jester (Michael Ironside) is an instructor. Charlie (Kelly McGillis) is a civilian instructor.

The action is great. Tony Scott shoots the action like a music video and it looks amazing. He gets great access to military hardware and locations. This is not the older generation military movie. Movie star Tom Cruise is perfectly suited as Maverick. The only minor hiccup is the limited chemistry between McGillis and Cruise. It's not bad and it doesn't detract from anything. This movie just has all the fun 80s stuff. It's funny. It's fun. It's a great popcorn movie.