Top Gun: A Very Light Drama

We are welcomed by a whole new decade this time: the unforgettable, marvelous, and sometimes-very-cheesy 1980's! Today, let's take a look at Tom Cruise's first major movie hit: Top Gun (1986, PG). The movie earned a generous $176.7 million in domestic total gross, with a production budget of only about $15 million. While we are introduced to a different time in filming, we also see an odd, continued pattern: airplanes! That's right folks, once again, I randomly selected a movie about pilots. Of course, it is not the subject of planes that make movies worth watching, rather the plot, the characters, and the effects. We are also reintroduced to the hybrid genre of action drama. To be honest, I'm growing tired of these "plane actions", but the rules are the rules, and I must approach Top Gun with an unbiased, clear mind.  

 

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Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) and his best friend, Lieutenant Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) are sent to one of the most elite pilot academies in the world, the Navy Fighter Weapons School (or as the soldiers like to call it, Top Gun). There Maverick meets his antagonist and fellow wingman, Lieutenant Tom "Iceman" Kazansky (Van Kilmer) who constantly criticizes Maverick for flying recklessly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_BEJmY911s

We also see Maverick meet his love interest, the beautiful Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis) who is also an astrophysicist and instructor at Top Gun. After experiencing a series of challenges both in the air and on the ground, Maverick loses motivation to continue at the academy. Eventually, Maverick regains his confidence and decides to rejoin the school to complete the final and most important flight mission yet.

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The movie already feels dated within the first few moments of watching it. The entire score consists of crappy 80's hair metal rather than a legitimate orchestral arrangement. The beginning has it's shining moments however, as we are immersed into the exciting world of Navy flying. We first see the cool, eerie environment of the runway, in which the camera is temporarily tinted with a brownish filter. Along with the visuals, we hear some impressive take-off sound effects. For a movie made in the 80's, those jet engines sound like they are right next to my ear. The film then introduces us to Maverick in a thrilling and energetic flight scene. Nonetheless, what comes next is mediocre and sometimes just embarrassing to watch.

 

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Top Gun is by no means timeless, and I wouldn't be surprised if the movie's relevance will (if it hasn't already) completely fade away within the next couple of decades. One major problem with the film is that it is just too...80's. There is a bar scene which contains enough ridiculous hairstyles, neon clothing, and shoulder pads to last me a lifetime. I can only imagine what that bar probably smelled like: cigarettes and about a thousand gallons of aqua-net hairspray. And let me just say, Meg Ryan's hair looks terrifying:

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Even the soundtrack of the movie screams 80's from the rooftops, including the recurring song, "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin. There are even a couple of sing-along scenes. That's right. An action drama about Navy pilots actually has a scene where Maverick sings "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by the Righteous Brothers with a chorus of fellow Navy pilots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLzVbz2HHzo

A movie having a quote-unquote "80's feel" isn't necessarily always a bad thing, as we've seen with highly praised movies like Back to the Future. If Marty's red vest jacket or Doc's DeLorean time machine aren't the definition of the 80's, I don't know what is. The main issue with Top Gun is the lack of creativity, substance, and surprise in the plot. The romance between Maverick and Charlie is obviously a constructed, made-to-entertain relationship.

Tania Modleski, an English professor at the University of Southern California claimed that the film embraces misogyny. She believes Top Gun is guilty of "equating women with the enemy to be conquered, and silencing female voices that have attempted to speak authoritatively about the war."

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I have to agree with Ms. Modleski in the fact that there seems to be a connection between war victory and "winning over the girl". At the very end of the movie after Maverick completes his final air mission, he is rewarded with another steamy, flirtatious encounter with Charlie. It almost seems like Charlie is Maverick's trophy.

Another flaw with the love story is just how unconvincing it really is. For a movie that according to IMDb claims to be an action drama, the romance is quite unsatisfying. Charlie falls for Maverick almost instantly, even though Maverick makes awkward, uncomfortably quick advances towards her. Modleski writes, "Before he (Maverick) knew Charlie as a teacher, he sees her in a bar and tries to make a sexual conquest of her practically on the spot." Even on their first date, Maverick arrives at Charlie's house and asks if he can use her shower. If this were a real-life scenario, I'd hope Charlie would be at least a little taken aback by Maverick's aggressiveness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFDGITpL0cc

A major reason as to why I enjoy dramas so much is because they seem to capture more realistic situations than the big Hollywood comedies, horrors, or action films. That's another thing: for an action drama, this movie is definitely more action and romance than it is drama. That's not to say that there aren't some genuinely well-done drama scenes every now and again.

Around the midpoint of act II, the flick takes it's dramatic turn, and it's about damn time. There will be no spoilers ahead, so I'll just say that something major happens in the story, discouraging Maverick from continuing to fly. Maverick's emotional process is very relatable to real life, and I really feel sympathetic towards him. Maverick first goes through anger after one of his fellow wingmen yells at Maverick for not firing his weapon. He pulls the wingman by his collar and  responds, "I will fire when I am goddamn good and ready!"

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Maverick then experiences sadness, as he cries and embraces a character named Carole (Meg Ryan). Finally, Maverick is reenergized and ready to continue pursuing his life goals by rejoining the academy.

Another aspect of the movie worth mentioning is not necessarily a criticism of Top Gun, but more of an interesting observation. The film is rated PG, but I have a difficult time believing that the movie would pass for children younger than 13 nowadays. The characters can be quite mouthy, using a colorful array of profanity such as "dickhead", "bullshit", "asshole", and the list goes on. There's also a sex scene that lasts about a minute. The PG rating sparks some curiosity as to whether the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) had become temporarily more lenient on ratings in the 80's and 90's than in other time periods. An interesting documentary, This Film Is Not Yet Rated explores the decisions made by the MPAA. For your viewing pleasure, here is part of that documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIncrMYRUJ0

Top Gun will forever exist strictly in 1986. Apparently Top Gun 2 is currently in development. The big question I have is, "Why make a sequel now? After all, it's been almost 30 years since the first movie was released." The answer that my brain keeps coming back to is "Money."

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS A SPOILER

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhIVGshLBIo

While it's debatable on whether Top Gun should be considered a quality drama, it's certainly a significant film as it set off Tom Cruise's distinguished career as an A-list actor. As I previously mentioned, I think Top Gun's relevancy is weakening, so the second movie could have the potential of being a flop. Then again, Cruise is now well-known for his lead roles in well-liked productions such as Mission Impossible, Edge of Tomorrow, and Jerry Maguire. So maybe Top Gun 2  does have potential to be something better. But I'm not going to see it.

Air Force One: The Slightly Unpredictable Blockbuster

Strangely enough, after randomly picking my decade for this week, I landed on the 1990s once again. And what do you know? Another movie about planes! Well, there's a little more to the story than just that. Air Force One (1997. R), directed by Wolfgang Peterson (Troy, Outbreak) earned $172.9 million in the box office for domestic total gross. Harrison Ford, who stars as the lead character in the film, could be one of the main reasons as to why the movie was so successful.

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After all, Ford has become used to the Hollywood spotlight earning big-time roles in celebrated movies like Star Wars, Blade Runner, The Fugitive, and of course, playing the revered archeologist himself in Indiana Jones. Air Force One was a major go-to movie in the summer of 1997, but has it held up over time? Let's find out.

The film begins with United States President James Marshall (Harrison Ford) making a speech in Moscow. He promises that the U.S. will never again, under any circumstances, negotiate with terrorists.

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President Marshall later boards Air Force One with his wife, Grace (Wendy Crewson) and daughter Alice (Liesel Pritzker Simmons). Shortly after takeoff, a group of Russian terrorists hijack the plane. The terrorists want Russian terrorist leader, General Ivan Radek (Jürgen Prochnow) to be released from prison. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Kathryn Bennett (Glenn Close) is in the White House trying to compromise with the terrorists while also struggling to ensure the safety and well-being of the plane's passengers. Because of the importance of the plot in this movie analysis, spoilers will be ahead.

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Air Force One's beginning credits are exciting, with composer Jerry Goldsmith conducting a patriotic and grandiose score that fits the movie's subject very well. Along with the music, the many scenes filled with gunfire and explosions add to the glossy Hollywood quality of the film. Nonetheless, there are scenes here and there that seem completely outdated and rather ugly compared to today's standards. For example, there is a scene in which some of the passengers manage to escape the aircraft by deploying parachutes. The way the passengers fall into the sky with their parachutes looks unnatural and computerized. There is also a scene in which the plane looks more like the product of a video game than an actual object I can touch.

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Also, for a movie made in the late nineties, the sound quality is kind of mediocre. Sure, I wasn't listening to the film in a theatre, but usually my around ear headphones pick up digital sound very well. Compared to Pearl Harbor, a movie that was made only four years after this film, Air Force One didn't bother taking advantage of digital surround sound. For a movie containing so much action and violence, it wasted a great deal of it's sound potential. In terms of camera style, the film isn't that edgy. Although there is a cool scene when the members of the White House are celebrating over the defeat of the terrorists on Air Force One. The camera spins around the room of the White House, almost uncontrollably.

President Marshall is probably the most likable politician that will ever be known to man, making him pretty unrealistic.

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Professor at the State University of New York in Buffalo, Ram Samudrala writes his thoughts in an article conveniently titled, "Air Force One". He mentions, "we're asked to believe that the President of the United States can, in a situation of conflict, fight like Han Solo from Star Wars." Scenes when President Marshall walks around with a machine gun, and when First Lady Grace Marshall constantly talks back to the terrorists make the movie seem more artificial. 

Harrison plays sort of a "rebel president" in the sense that he doesn't bother consulting anyone in the government before he makes his speech on refusing to negotiate with terrorists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQ-TCeM2mU

He seems like the kind of president you can have a beer with. In one scene the President even asks one of his assistants, "Could you get me a Heineken?" There's no doubt that this is obvious product placement, but this dialogue actually helps us better understand exactly what kind of guy President Marshall really is: the everyday kind of guy. The movie adds a little bit of plain-folks appeal.

While the movie follows some of Hollywood's classic and predictable rules, it also succeeds at breaking some. Marshall's deputy press secretary, Melanie Mitchel (Donna Bullock) is ruthlessly murdered by the terrorists after they count down from ten.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTndK3-iHvA

I would have thought she would have been saved at the last second, but surprisingly, she is shot and killed immediately. Also, there is a twist at the end when we find out that Secret Service Agent Gibbs has actually been working with the terrorists on the plane the entire time.

First Lady Grace Marshall begins to feel more and more like a quivering damsel in distress as the movie progresses. We are welcomed, however, with a refreshing surprise. In the final fight scene between President Marshall and terrorist Ivan Korshunov (Gary Oldman), Grace helps her husband defeat the enemy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdaeVone5qA

Grace strikes Ivan, giving President Marshall enough time to make a quick move, and hang the terrorist with a parachute. The movie does a decent job at throwing in some unexpected jabs throughout the running time.

Air Force One is not that groundbreaking, but it has enough unpredictability to keep the audience interested throughout the film. You pretty much know from the start that President Marshall is going to be fine, and so is his wife and daughter. You know that the Russian terrorists are going to lose and that the U.S. government will celebrate over their victory. But we still watch the movie anyway for the little moments that give us that tiny jolt of anxiety.