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Review #129: Top Gun
Loose-cannon fighterpilot Lt Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his co-pilot Ltjg Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw are part of an interception mission over the Indian Ocean when one of their fellow pilots loses his calm and panics. Maverick and Goose guide the panic stricken fighterpilot home and find themselves in an elite training programme for their actions, though not without a good rollocking for disobeying orders to leave the pilot behind.
At the programme, their apparent iron-nerves will be tested along with a handful of other arrogant pilots, enemies will be made and friendships will be tested, love lives will be made and broken and all involved will compete to become number 1 in the elite training programme...
... to become Top Gun.
Lots of cheesey dialogue and pearly white toothy smiles, perfect hair and homo-erotic scenes captured the hearts and minds of teenaged girls and adolescent boys at time of release.
The movie is basically an engine for high octane aerial battles and dog fights, with the story coming in second.
There's also lashings of subtle and not-so-subtle homo-erotic scenes throughout, from topless men's beach volleyball, to guys sitting around in perfectly ironed uniforms with their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling profusely as they do so.
There is a story there to an extent, Maverick's father being a Top Gun with Maverick feeling pressure to be like him, the love story thrown in for Maverick and some tragedy to keep the viewer fixed to the screen.
It's not perfectly written either, it's pretty simplistic and written to give the movie at least some substance.
What makes the movie is a combination of character writing and action scenes.
The action is highly exciting and the well written characters make for even more emotional content during the training fights and especially when tragedy hits.
The audience-character connection is very well put together.
Tom Cruise as Maverick is the typical handsome Hero with a sharp wit and even sharper attitude.
Anthony Edwards as Goose is probably the best on show to be honest. He's funny, engaging, full of charisma and hits the role with more than just a pearly white smile.
Kelly McGillis is a bit out of place as Maverick's new squeeze. She plays the role well, but she just feels a bit old for a babyfaced Cruise.
Val Kilmer makes a good appearance as Maverick's nemesis in the programme. He too though is more about teeth and hair, but his character is well written to give Cruise something to play off.
Backup from Meg Ryan, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside and James Tolkan.
Adding to all that is a thumping 80s soundtrack and power ballad 'Take My Breath Away' to give the love scenes and aerial dog fights some more clout.
All in all, definitely one for the ladies with the eye candy on show, those after action will be pleased too...
... but anyone who likes movies with a more rounded finish overall will probably get a little bored and may even find themselves smiling sarcastically at the incredibly cheesey and sometimes cringeworthy scenes that show up on more than one occasion.
My rating 71%
Loose-cannon fighterpilot Lt Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his co-pilot Ltjg Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw are part of an interception mission over the Indian Ocean when one of their fellow pilots loses his calm and panics. Maverick and Goose guide the panic stricken fighterpilot home and find themselves in an elite training programme for their actions, though not without a good rollocking for disobeying orders to leave the pilot behind.
At the programme, their apparent iron-nerves will be tested along with a handful of other arrogant pilots, enemies will be made and friendships will be tested, love lives will be made and broken and all involved will compete to become number 1 in the elite training programme...
... to become Top Gun.
Lots of cheesey dialogue and pearly white toothy smiles, perfect hair and homo-erotic scenes captured the hearts and minds of teenaged girls and adolescent boys at time of release.
The movie is basically an engine for high octane aerial battles and dog fights, with the story coming in second.
There's also lashings of subtle and not-so-subtle homo-erotic scenes throughout, from topless men's beach volleyball, to guys sitting around in perfectly ironed uniforms with their arms around each other's shoulders, smiling profusely as they do so.
There is a story there to an extent, Maverick's father being a Top Gun with Maverick feeling pressure to be like him, the love story thrown in for Maverick and some tragedy to keep the viewer fixed to the screen.
It's not perfectly written either, it's pretty simplistic and written to give the movie at least some substance.
What makes the movie is a combination of character writing and action scenes.
The action is highly exciting and the well written characters make for even more emotional content during the training fights and especially when tragedy hits.
The audience-character connection is very well put together.
Tom Cruise as Maverick is the typical handsome Hero with a sharp wit and even sharper attitude.
Anthony Edwards as Goose is probably the best on show to be honest. He's funny, engaging, full of charisma and hits the role with more than just a pearly white smile.
Kelly McGillis is a bit out of place as Maverick's new squeeze. She plays the role well, but she just feels a bit old for a babyfaced Cruise.
Val Kilmer makes a good appearance as Maverick's nemesis in the programme. He too though is more about teeth and hair, but his character is well written to give Cruise something to play off.
Backup from Meg Ryan, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside and James Tolkan.
Adding to all that is a thumping 80s soundtrack and power ballad 'Take My Breath Away' to give the love scenes and aerial dog fights some more clout.
All in all, definitely one for the ladies with the eye candy on show, those after action will be pleased too...
... but anyone who likes movies with a more rounded finish overall will probably get a little bored and may even find themselves smiling sarcastically at the incredibly cheesey and sometimes cringeworthy scenes that show up on more than one occasion.
My rating 71%
