Top Gun Maverick ... has anyone seen this?

[CF DolFan]

Top Gun opened in May 1986.  I was wrapping up my Junior year of High School when this came out and like most high schoolers we saw a lot of movies. It's kind of funny but I saw this and moved on. I never got caught up in any hype over the movie. With that said we rewatched Top Gun last night in preparation for seeing Maverick and I've got to say ... I still think it was just kind of meh. Either way ... I'm hoping Maverick will rock!

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I will wait until it comes to TNT.   But these guys do a great review of the original

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxFq16IG_k0  

[Sunstroke]

I watched Top Gun Maverick at the theater last weekend. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Good actioner...if you like jets zipping around and shit getting blown up, you'll probably enjoy it too.

[Dave Gray]

I saw it.

It's good.  It's not like, end of the world, groundbreaking good, but it's as good as it possibly can be, for being a legasequel like it is.  It's all of the Top Gun callbacks, but every one of them feels natural and it's not a forced story.  It's a straight-forward action movie with themes about aging and guilt and stuff, but it's not breaking the mold.

It's definitely a better movie than Top Gun...no question.

I will say this -- if you have an interest in this movie, don't wait for your house.  If ever there was a movie where the theatrical experience will be better, it's this.  The action is truly incredible and it's all real.  They filmed that shit in real jets, with the actors inside.  They use a subtle fish-eye lens so you really do get to see the surrounding landscape, sky, and other planes.

This movie is a throwback.  USA is good.  Bad guys are faceless, nameless nation.  The mission and the action are very straight forward -- it's clear and easy to understand.  They do a great job of defining everyone's role -- you know exactly what the mission is, how it works, and what's at stake if they fail.  They made an 80s movie, but with a clearer to understand plot and current technology.

I find it hard to believe that anyone will go and think this movie is bad.

[Sunstroke]

^^^ Pretty much everything that D says there...  I also particularly enjoyed that tug-at-the-heartstrings scene with Val Kilmer.

And definitely, the scenes from inside the jet were very cool.

[Dave Gray]

I also just want to echo what CF said.  The OG Top Gun is not a great movie.  It's a fun movie and is nostalgic, but it's not a great action movie or even a particularly good romance.  But it struck a chord for its time.

This is a stellar action movie.  It plays out with a clearly defined mission and really is more like Mission: Impossible -- it's a team, coming together with a leader and a plan, with disagreements from the higher ups.  It's stuff you've seen before.  It's just so, so clean.

[Phishfan]

In no rush to see it. I may never see it actually.

[Dave Gray]

Update on this:

There is something in the secret sauce of this movie that's causing it to be a hit with so many different groups.

I went to see Jurassic World: Dominion the other day (which was terrible, by the way) and by that time, Top Gun: Maverick had been out for about 3 weeks.  At the movie theater bar, I ran into a big group of 50 something and about 5 of them (both men and women) were dressed in aviator glasses and Top Gun flight suits.

That doesn't happen normally.

I have seen people online saying things about the movie and why they think it appeals and it's all over the map.  My right-leaning friends were mentioning that it's finally a blockbuster movie that's not trying to be woke.  There are people like me who think it's because the story is straightforward and the action is clear.  It might be because there is no noticeable CG at all and critics appreciate the craft.  I've seen people suggesting that it appeals to boomers because it's essentially about an older guy still having something in the tank to teach these millennials a thing or two.  And some have nostalgia for the original move or just the 80s in general.  And it's also a movie that lets you cheer for the USA military without being jingoistic.  It's like it came from a different era where the heroes were Hulk Hogan, waving the American flag before reminding kids to eat their vitamins.  Even the message, if you can call it that, is really general and relatable, about the importance of teamwork and sacrifice.

This movie has serious legs and may very well end up beating Jurassic Park and the Marvel movies to be the #1 movie of the summer, which was completely unforeseen by anyone.

[EDGECRUSHER]

Update on this:

There is something in the secret sauce of this movie that's causing it to be a hit with so many different groups.

I went to see Jurassic World: Dominion the other day (which was terrible, by the way) and by that time, Top Gun: Maverick had been out for about 3 weeks.  At the movie theater bar, I ran into a big group of 50 something and about 5 of them (both men and women) were dressed in aviator glasses and Top Gun flight suits.

That doesn't happen normally.

I have seen people online saying things about the movie and why they think it appeals and it's all over the map.  My right-leaning friends were mentioning that it's finally a blockbuster movie that's not trying to be woke.  There are people like me who think it's because the story is straightforward and the action is clear.  It might be because there is no noticeable CG at all and critics appreciate the craft.  I've seen people suggesting that it appeals to boomers because it's essentially about an older guy still having something in the tank to teach these millennials a thing or two.  And some have nostalgia for the original move or just the 80s in general.  And it's also a movie that lets you cheer for the USA military without being jingoistic.  It's like it came from a different era where the heroes were Hulk Hogan, waving the American flag before reminding kids to eat their vitamins.  Even the message, if you can call it that, is really general and relatable, about the importance of teamwork and sacrifice.

This movie has serious legs and may very well end up beating Jurassic Park and the Marvel movies to be the #1 movie of the summer, which was completely unforeseen by anyone.

I really want to see this movie but have had no time, however I think you nailed it with the different angles. For me, I love Tom Cruise and the stunts he does. I'm a horror guy so I grew up on practical effects and stuntmen. CGI is way overused these days so to see someone, especially a huge movie star basically learn to fly a Jet Fighter and do his own stunts is incredible. That's what I love the Mission Impossible movies too.

[Spider-Dan]

I watched the original Top Gun for the first time last week and the frequent amount of camera cuts during every flight scene made me queasy.  I understand the limitations of 1986, but it was pretty hard to watch.

I'll check this one out when I have a chance.

[Dave Gray]

I watched the original Top Gun for the first time last week and the frequent amount of camera cuts during every flight scene made me queasy.  I understand the limitations of 1986, but it was pretty hard to watch.

The action in the OG movies is incomprehensible.  They just had B-roll footage of jets and had to build action scenes around it.  As bad as it is in telling an action story, it's amazing that they were able to craft anything together at all.  And the cockpit scenes are mostly the actors looking around, confused, pretending to see things.

In the new movie, the action takes a front seat and the romance, buddy-flick, maverick attitude stuff is in the back.  It's flipped from the first movie, in terms of the focus.

[CF DolFan]

We finally saw this movie and I agree that it is much better than the original. Nothing seemed forced with a ton of throwbacks to the original. It was a bit odd that the enemy was never named but it's a sign of the times for sure so as not to offend ... hahahaha

[EDGECRUSHER]

The action in the OG movies is incomprehensible.  They just had B-roll footage of jets and had to build action scenes around it.  As bad as it is in telling an action story, it's amazing that they were able to craft anything together at all.  And the cockpit scenes are mostly the actors looking around, confused, pretending to see things.

In the new movie, the action takes a front seat and the romance, buddy-flick, maverick attitude stuff is in the back.  It's flipped from the first movie, in terms of the focus.

Plus, judging by reviews, it is not the secretly gayest movie ever.

[Dave Gray]

We finally saw this movie and I agree that it is much better than the original. Nothing seemed forced with a ton of throwbacks to the original. It was a bit odd that the enemy was never named but it's a sign of the times for sure so as not to offend ... hahahaha

I think the movie is stronger because it doesn't specifically name the enemy -- not because of offense, but because the narrative is much simpler and cleaner to root for the good guys, while the actual complexities and horrors of war between nations is much more complicated.

But based on context clues and the names used for the technology, the enemy is Iran, from what I read.

[masterfins]

I haven't been to the Theater for a movie in a few years, and I've been waiting for this one but haven't gone yet.  Reading every ones comments I'm definitely going to make a plan to go see it.