Just a few seconds of hearing the music, followed by the opening crawl and then the scene of the carrier is all it takes to find yourself hooked in.
Now at a glance you may not be sure what this movie is going to be about, only that it's going to involve fighter jets. I know that was my first impression when one of my cousins first showed me this film way back when, and being able to see the movie as a teenager and now again many times as an adult I can definitely say this is a movie that never gets old.
The movie centers around Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise), a hotshot pilot who has potential to be the best, but his cocky attitude gets in the way more often than not. Despite that, he still gets the job done.
After helping his wingman "Cougar" land despite being low on fuel himself, Maverick and his Radar Intercept Officer Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) are chewed out by their CO Stinger, but he still applauds them for helping Cougar out at the same time. And while Stinger would like to chew them out more something else has come up to where he has to send two pilots to Fighter Weapons School in Miramar, or as the students call it: Top Gun.
"For five weeks you're gonna fly against the best fighter pilots in the world." -Stinger
Feeling very enthusiastic with this news Maverick and Goose head off to celebrate, and meet two other naval aviators Iceman and Slider, as well as a very stunning woman whom Maverick quickly tries to charm via a serenade - with help from Goose.
Surprisingly enough it kind of works, but Maverick finds himself in for a surprise when he learns that the woman he serenaded is none other than a civilian contractor named Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood who has been brought on board to teach the pilots about the possible enemy aircraft they may face in missions.
But even with that little surprise Maverick and Goose begin their training in earnest. And while Maverick's piloting skills make an impression, so does his extremely cocky attitude - something Iceman makes very clear in no uncertain terms.
And despite Charlie not being permitted to date students, she does however take Maverick up on him asking her out, and they make do in small but heartfelt ways, which leads to something more later on.
So for a while things are pretty good for Maverick, but then during another training session things go wrong and Maverick and Goose are forced to eject from the jet fighter. While Maverick gets clear, Goose ends up hitting the canopy and is killed instantly. Though an inquiry clears Maverick of any wrong-doing, Mitchell still loses his edge. Not knowing what else to do Maverick turns to Viper who reveals some classified information about the former's father and what really happened to him on a mission years ago. He also tells Maverick that because he accumulated enough points throughout the course, he can still graduate with his Top Gun class or he could quit. Before he leaves Viper does give the younger pilot some sound advice:
"A good pilot is compelled to always evaluate what's happened so that he can apply what he's learned." -Viper
So Maverick ultimately goes to the graduation ceremony and congratulates Iceman on winning the Top Gun trophy. But before they can all head out and celebrate Viper informs them of a crisis situation that's come up to which Maverick and his classmates are then briefed more on later. What follows is an epic dogfight that puts Maverick to the test, and this time he applies the lessons he's learned and manages to not only save his wingman, but accomplish the mission as well.
After being given his choice of assignment - with Maverick deciding to become an instructor at Top Gun - Mitchell finds himself at a bar and encounters an all-too-familiar face. Despite having "crashed and burned" the first time around, he is still feeling pretty good about this new chance, and the scene fades to black.
So what can be said about this film that hasn't already been said? Classic film? Absolutely. Masterpiece? Definitely. The directing, screenplay, and especially the cast helped elevate the film to the level of quality that the best Hollywood movies should be. In many ways this film also helped solidify Jerry Bruckheimer as a powerhouse movie producer for pretty much the rest of the 1980s and 1990s that followed. And that's not even counting the soundtrack.
Now if there could be a great example of an album going hand-in-hand with a movie, the Top Gun soundtrack would be it. Each song fits with the film so well that just even one missing song would ruin the whole piece. And it only solidified Kenny Loggins as the quintessential artist for 1980s movie soundtracks. As such the album still remains a cornerstone of great music to this day.
Interesting story here!
So if you remember watching this movie as a kid - even if you weren't a kid of the 80s - go check it out. And if you never have, go see it. It is a film that has transcended the decade it was made and still keeps inviting new generations of audiences the more time goes by. Very few films are capable of that, and I'm glad Top Gun is one of them.
This is only the beginning of the July 4th movie highlights folks, so grab some popcorn and stay tuned!
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