Top Gun

 

DIRECTED BY-:
Tony Scott
STARRING-:
Tom Cruise
Val Kilmer
Kelly McGillis
YEAR OF RELEASE-:
1986
PREMISE-:
As students at the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot learns a few things that are not taught in the classroom.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

THE NEGATIVES-:

• Maverick shouldn’t have been able to get away unpunished after Goose’s death because it was HIS decision to fly too close to Iceman’s jet in the first place, and a pilot of his calibre would’ve surely known that getting caught in the jet wash WOULD be a consequence of doing so.

• I didn’t understand why Viper felt it necessary to jeopardize the lives of other fighter pilots by sending Maverick, someone who is very clearly guilt-ridden and extremely hesitant to kill, on a crucial mission. Now granted, Maverick was a backup and not the first choice, but, he shouldn’t have been chosen for the final mission at all. I mean, I understand that Viper wanted Maverick to get his self-confidence back, but I don’t buy that he would be willing to put actual lives of other pilots in danger in order to achieve that goal. I was also bothered by the fact that Maverick didn’t show more reluctance when offered the final mission, because showing up for graduation doesn’t automatically mean that he’s gained his confidence to kill the enemy back.

• Although the dogfight scenes are exhilarating in moments, they could’ve been filmed better in order to convey the flow of the story in a more comprehendible manner.

THE POSITIVES-:

• Although Maverick gaining his self-confidence back could’ve been less rushed, the rest of his character arc, which was a classic case of - “he learns from his mistakes / recklessness and becomes more sensible in the process” - was decently written and executed.

• Thanks to the decent writing and excellent chemistry between the actors, the friendship dynamic between Maverick and Goose was engaging to watch and felt authentic and believable.

• Most of the dogfight scenes were well shot. The cinematography was also satisfactorily good in most of the scenes.

• I also loved MOST of the music choices in the film, especially the main theme.

• Even though I liked Maverick and was rooting for him in the end, I think Iceman might be my favorite character of the film, because he’s a likable and understandable antagonist. He genuinely cares about the lives of all the fighter pilots and is not just a stereotypical arrogant bully. His calculative persona naturally causes him to dislike and clash with Maverick, someone who’s not afraid of disobeying/bending the rules to do what he believes is right, even if it can potentially put others in danger. Now, even though Iceman does have a cocky way of going about expressing that to Maverick, his core motivation for doing so is completely justified. Even before the final mission, he objects to Maverick’s involvement not because he hates him as a person, but because he’s concerned about the safety of the other aviators. It's only after Maverick has proven himself by saving Iceman's life, can the two men find some semblance of friendship with each other. So, overall, I really appreciated the way Iceman's character and the resolution between Maverick and Iceman was written.

• Although I would admit that most of the dialogue and sense of humor in the film is very cheesy and on-the-nose, the performances, chemistry and the camaraderie that the actors shared easily made the dialogues and jokes bearable and even enjoyable, at least for me.

RATING-: 6/10