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.
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.
http://www.war-movies.info/warmovies/top-gun-4.jpg
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:
https://meatgrinder.co/photos/meg-ryan/top-gun-c8113305c0428b74ed3f1b6051520039-large-37094.jpg
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."
http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Kelly-McGillis.jpg
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!"
http://www.topgunday.com/wp-content/gallery/top-gun/sundown-you-coulda-had-him.jpg
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.
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