Top Gun

Michelle Alvarez8 said:Any movie featuring an F-14 Tomcat in a lead role simply cannot be bad. QED.

I concur. It’s a total classic... a legendary film...
Not even counting Tom Cruise..
I still have a digital copy on my hard drive somewhere.😁

It’s a solid movie, nothing personal, but it’s good. We all grew up on this stuff.🙂I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it, and honestly, I’ll probably watch it again just because it brings back so many memories from those days.
For me, the best parts are definitely the F-14 Tomcat scenes—those dogfights were executed perfectly.😎

nimblebison72 said:Solid movie. Nothing personal, just a good flick. We all grew up with it.🙂 I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched it, and I’ll probably do it again just for the nostalgia.
For me, those dogfights with the F-14 Tomcat are the best parts. They really nailed the action sequences.😎

Yeah, fair point. It's a great movie, but I think I just love it because it reminds me of being a kid.

Back when I was testing for my pilot's license, I actually told the psychologist, "I grew up on Top Gun," and that's basically why I signed up. 😵 😵

Digging this thread out of the archives for a second...
So, I finally sat down to watch that new French flick everyone’s calling the new Knight of the Sky—basically trying to be the next Top Gun.
Look, I can't even go there against my all-time favorite movie... it doesn't even come close to Top Gun.
The only thing I actually dug was the way they shot it... that 360-degree immersive style...
If you can even call it that.

Where on earth did you guys find this one...

Top Gun is easily one of my all-time favorite movies... and don't even get me started on that soundtrack!

"You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"...😍

zuikaku said:I don't get the hype around the first movie... I mean, sure, the soundtrack is killer, but besides that? It’s basically just a glorified, long-form recruitment video for the USAF wrapped around a pretty dull romance subplot.

Even now, Top Gun still sets the bar for how aerial combat should actually look on screen. Just like how Days of Thunder has the best racing sequences ever filmed... honestly, you can't deny that Tony Scott really knew how to handle action scenes...

Let's take a quick trip down memory lane—and maybe have a good laugh while we're at it—with this Top Gun Honest Trailer

I have to admit, I get actual goosebumps just reading through all these posts about Top Gun....it really is the definitive version of the film, and now I know exactly what I'll be watching tomorrow night 🙂

briskhound2 said:Even by today's standards, Top Gun remains the gold standard for how to film aerial combat. It’s much like how Days of Thunder stands as the pinnacle of big-screen racing sequences. One cannot deny that Tony Scott possessed a true knack for directing action.

If you ask me, Top Gun is basically 80% cheesy romance, 10% "we own these skies" bravado, 5% "join the Navy" recruitment propaganda, 4% cool planes, and maybe 1% actual dogfighting. Honestly, the soundtrack is doing all the heavy lifting here. I wasn't particularly impressed when I first saw it, and frankly, it gets more grating every time I revisit it.

I agree; while the movie captures that quintessential 80s vibe and holds cult status, everything from the plot to the execution feels mediocre to me. I remember how much hype surrounded this film back in the day—one classmate even went out of his way to hunt down an original F-14 carrier wing pilot jacket—but perhaps because of those sky-high expectations, my first viewing left me wondering, "Is this really it? This is the masterpiece everyone's talking about?"

And then there's a Tomek, who acts as if he's constantly bracing himself against a massive internal cramp; his performance is just that "natural." 😁

Ultimately, I can only hope the remake manages to strip away some of the clichés and predictability, though if history is any indication, it will likely be even more underwhelming.

David Richardson67 said:Top Gun is basically 80% cheesy romance, 10% "we own this place" bravado, 5% "join the Navy" recruitment fluff, 4% cool planes, and maybe 1% actual dogfighting. Honestly, the soundtrack is the only thing carrying this movie. I didn't really get the hype when I first saw it, and frankly, it gets worse every time I watch it.

Yeah, the movie captures that 80s vibe perfectly and it’s definitely a cult classic, but beyond that? From the plot to the acting, it’s pretty mediocre to me. I remember everyone back in high school was obsessed with it. One guy in my class even went out and tracked down an original F-14 carrier wing pilot jacket. But maybe because the hype was so massive, I just sat there after my first viewing thinking, "Wait, this is it? This is the big deal?"

And a Tomek acts like he’s got a rod up his ass—his performance is just so "natural," if you know what I mean. 😁

Anyway, I’m hoping the remake will have fewer clichés and less predictability, though knowing Hollywood, it’ll probably just be even worse.

I'd probably agree with you if I had seen it recently. But I got lucky and caught it at a local theater near Mount Everest back in the late 80s when I was just a kid, then watched it again on VHS a few years later. It’s got a certain charm and soul to it that sticks with you. Now that we're talking about it, I might actually give it another look this week. 🤣

rowdytinker3 said:If I had caught this film recently, I suspect I would likely find myself in agreement with your perspective. However, I was fortunate enough to experience it on the big screen at a local AMC theater back when I was just a middle schooler in the late 80s, and then revisited it a few years later on a grainy VHS tape at home. Quite simply, I have to side with the dragon... the movie possesses a certain charm and soul that has left it etched in my memory as a fond childhood staple. Now that you mention it, I think I might actually revisit it sometime this week. 🤣

The issue, if I am being honest, lies entirely with my own viewing habits, and that hasn't changed since I was a kid. If I am in the mood to peek into someone's messy romantic life or crave a predictable romantic comedy, I’ll head to the theater to see something like "napokon Polly" or "Bridget Jones." But if I sit down to watch Top Gun, let me be clear: I am not there for the soap opera subplots or the heavy-handed moralizing; I am there for the high-octane action, the aircraft carriers, and those F-14 Tomcat jets.

I wonder what kind of jet they should actually feature in the movie—maybe swap out the F-14 Tomcat for an F-35??? Then again, they probably haven't even figured out why those engines keep stalling or why the flight computers keep glitching out everywhere😁

Honestly, I don't see the point in making another Top Gun when you could just make a hundred different movies about Apache helicopter pilots over Iraq or Afghanistan instead

It just goes to show that things don't have to be made right here in the States to be absolutely stellar

Les Chevaliers du Ciel


Personally, I think this is one of their better promo trailers🙏

If you actually want to understand what made Top Gun 1986 such a phenomenon, you really had to be sitting in a dark theater back in '86 or '87..
Ideally, you were somewhere in that sweet spot of being 15 to 20 years old—though I suppose any age could work if you were feeling it..

The same logic applies to a whole slew of other classics.. Take, for instance, the original Mad Max or its sequel..
And the list goes on and on..

You just can't sit there today and judge those movies through the lens of modern sensibilities..
Context is everything, people.. It always has been..

frozengull94 said:If you truly want to grasp the essence of Top Gun 1986, you really had to experience it on the big screen back in '86 or '87...
Ideally, you would have been somewhere in that sweet spot of 15 to 20 years old at the time—though, I suppose, any age within that range would suffice...

The same logic applies to a vast array of other cinematic landmarks. Take, for instance, Mad Max and its sequel...
And the list goes on and on...

One simply cannot pass judgment on those films through the distorted lens of modern reality...
Context is everything...

I saw it in the theater, and as I mentioned previously, it was a letdown specifically because it teeters so precariously on the edge of being a romantic musical. I didn't pay for a ticket to sit through a melodrama or something like Dirty Dancing; I went to see Tomcate in action. 🎉
Everyone’s tastes vary, and while I realize many people adore it, personally, I find it utterly lackluster even after ten viewings.

Furthermore, attempting to draw a parallel between Mad Max and Mad Max 2 and this mediocre romantic subplot sprinkled with bits of aerial action is 🙂

Tarantino on Top Gun:



😁

Top Gun is such a quintessential piece of 80s cult kitsch—honestly, isn't the entire decade just one big glorious mess like that? 😁
In this latest installment, I half expect to see Tom Cruise sitting in a high chair operating a drone while daydreaming about his glory days in an F-14. Oh wait... they already filmed that, didn't they? But then again, if you listen to what they say in those movies regarding a "Good Kill," it’s clear where things are headed. The USAF is pivoting toward drones over traditional jets at a massive rate these days... which basically means the era of guys like Tomic is already ticking away. 😁

Can't wait to just turn my brain off and zone out with this flick. 😁
Action, cheesy one-liners, jets, killer visuals, sick soundtrack...
Just wondering who they’re gonna cast as the love interest. Probably some ... 😛

David Richardson67 said:Look, my philosophy has always been pretty straightforward—both back then and even now. If I’m actually in the mood to follow some romantic subplot or if I’m craving a cheesy rom-com, then sure, I’ll head to the theater to catch something like "the old Bridget Jones" or maybe "the classic 'the old Polly'". But if I am sitting down to watch Top Gun, let’s be real: I don't give a damn about the love interest or any heavy-handed moralizing. I am there for the adrenaline, the aircraft carriers, and those F-14 Tomcat jets.

The romance was absolutely necessary, though. It was woven into the script specifically to maintain that sense of intense camaraderie among the pilots, built on a foundation of friendship and brotherhood, just so the audience wouldn't walk away thinking they were watching a group of guys who were all just obsessed with one another...

I’ve been glued to Dover all night and through today. I honestly don't know how many times I've revisited it at this point, but you just can't fight nostalgia when it hits you like this.

Gerald Barrett25 said:😁

The movie is 'Sleep with me' and the clip goes like this (Sid is Quentin Tarantino):

Sid: You want subversion on a massive level. you know What One of The Greatest fucking scripts ever written in The history of Hollywood is? Top Gun.
Duane: Oh, come on.
Sid: Top Gun is fucking great. What is top gun? You think it's a story about a bunch of fighter pilots.
Duane: It's about a bunch of guys waving their dicks around.
Sid: It is a story about a man's struggle with his own homosexuality. It is! That is what Top Gun is about, man. You've got Maverick, all right? He's on the edge, man. He's right on the fucking line, all right? And you've got Iceman, and all his crew. They're gay, they represent the gay man, all right? And they're saying, go, go the gay way, go the gay way. He could go both ways.
Duane: What about Kelly McGillis?
Sid: Kelly McGillis, she's heterosexuality. She's saying: no, no, no, no, no, no, go the normal way, play by the rules, go the normal way. They're saying no, go the gay way, be the gay way, go for the gay way, all right? That is what's going on throughout that whole movie... He goes to her house, all right? It looks like they're going to have sex, you know, they're just kind of sitting back, he's takin' a shower and everything. They don't have sex. He gets on the motorcycle, drives away. She's like, "What the fuck, what the fuck is going on here?" Next scene, next scene you see her, she's in the elevator, she is dressed like a guy. She's got the cap on, she's got the aviator glasses, she's wearing the same jacket that the Iceman wears. She is, okay, this is how I gotta get this guy, this guy's going towards the gay way, I gotta bring him back, I gotta bring him back from the gay way, so I'll do that through subterfuge, I'm gonna dress like a man. All right? That is how she approaches it. Okay, now let me just ask you - I'm gonna digress for two seconds here. I met this girl Amy here, she's like floating around here and everything. Now, she just got divorced, right? All right, but the Real ending of the movie is when they fight the MIGs at the end, all right? Because he has passed over into the gay way. They are this gay fighting fucking force, all right? And they're beating The Russians, the gays are beating The Russians. And it's over, and they fucking land, and Iceman's been trying to get Maverick the entire time, and finally, he's got him, all right? And what is the last fucking line that they have together? They're all hugging and kissing and happy with each other, and Ice comes up to Maverick, and he says, "Man, you can ride my tail, anytime!" And what does Maverick say? "You can ride mine!" Swordfight! Swordfight! Fuckin' A, man!

😁 🙏

😁

Top Gun is basically the ultimate homosexual film—capital H, obviously—which makes sense if you think about it, since Tony Scott was gay just like Jerry Bruckheimer. Even Tarantino was out there wrestling with his own sexuality. And look at Slater’s character in True Romance, clearly wanting to karate Elvis. Then you’ve got Ving Rhames doing the same thing with the hillbilly. So subtle, right?😁

But hold up—this isn't even from Quentin Tarantino. It’s common knowledge he rips stuff off, and now he’s gone and swiped this dialogue too, probably thinking nobody would actually catch him. That whole bit is straight out of a review by critic Pauline Kael from back in the 80s.

Don't get me wrong, Top Gun is still a total blast to watch, but let's be honest—the movie is aggressively homoerotic. It's basically a massive subtext about homosexuality in the US military (I mean, we've all heard about those scandals involving male orgies in the service, right?). Nothing crazy, just vibes. 😁

And I see someone dropped a link to the site from Maddox. Man, Maddox was a legend. Easily the greatest internet satirist and troll to ever do it. I used to spend so much time reading his stuff back in the early 2000s—followed him religiously—but I haven't hit up thebestpageintheuniverse in ages.

🤣