Complete guff says Sidey but with TOP GUN's sequel TOP GUN COLON MAVERICK due out on May 27th, Peter thinks this supposed '80's classic is due a re-watch. Hot shot pilot Tom Cruise competes to be crowned the best at the elite flying school of the US Navy. The movie frames rival aerial ace Iceman (Val Kilmer) as the bad guy, someone who had it in for Maverick from the start, but every time he confronts him he’s completely justified: concerned about Mavericks flashy flying style, his repeated disobeying of direct orders, casual attitude towards safety protocols and perhaps most egregiously, abandoning his teammates to pursue personal goals. The movie never bothers to tackle any of these concerns, insisting Iceman is a pussy, look at him get upset about not obeying the rules and regulations in these multi-million dollar instruments of death etc. and this point is literally never addressed as even in the big climax Maverick contravenes his instructions, albeit becoming a hero in the process.
It's a cliché to talk about the homoerotic content in this movie but it would be an omission not to mention it; there are many tense long glares of mutual respect and admiration, locker room scenes, a 4 minute topless and well-lubed beach volleyball sequence set to Kenny Loggins's "Playing With The Boys", a cringe worthy seduction routine and a baffling sexual relationship between Kelly McGillis's civilian astrophysicist, Charlie and our leading man which seems to involve him following her into the toilet and taking multiple showers.
This suffers heavily from being lampooned by Hot Shots! but still retains some charm mostly because everyone involved plays it as earnestly as possible and the flying scenes featuring real footage of F14's continue to impress. It's curiously apolitical given it was made in 1986, with even a hint of criticism of the military in the subplot about Maverick's father, a pariah hero shot down the wrong side of enemy lines. Probably not what you remember if you haven't seen this in a while but an interesting time capsule of absurd 80's values, very competently made. TOP GUN? More like average gun, but that doesn't scan as well.
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