Top Gun: A Classic 80s Energy Film

While it received mediocre reviews prior to its 1986 box office release, the Tom Cruise-led Top Gun exceeded all expectations by amassing over $350 million worldwide. The story of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, a cocky, young United States Navy F-14 pilot, follows a predictable yet satisfying course, allowing the viewer to see inside the minds of America's elite pilots. Maverick, who clearly lives up to his nickname throughout the film, encounters numerous obstacles, from aggressive instructors who despise his flippant attitude to ultra-competitive top gun classmates who criticize his recklessness but secretly long for his skills. In the middle of his endless string of internal and external conflicts, he falls in love with his only female instructor, Charlotte "Charlie" Blackwood played by Kelly McGillis. From this point on, the movie attempts to become human, not merely a rush of steel and ammunition. And this is also where the criticism begins, failing to see the fun in it all.

Largely held as inaccurate and poorly adapted, the film struggles with specifics. Rather than using real MiG fighters, F-5s are painted a glossy black. Instead of identifying the enemy in the film, the producers leave the audience wondering, although providing enough time clues that point to the adversary being Russia. Leading the patrons to believe that "supersonic" represents almost the speed of light, the film fails in its communication that a plane can cover 200 miles in roughly thirty seconds.

Yet, do we as viewers, those of us who are thrill seekers or adrenaline junkies, walk into the theater with a research checklist to evaluate the film and its components? I think not. Instead, we grab popcorn, a coke, and a little extra butter, all in the attempt to comfort ourselves before what we hope is a great ride. Last I checked, I have never seen a person get onto the Batman rollercoaster and discuss the fact that the shade of blue selected to paint the tracks does not match the real Batman blue, or that the bat emblem has an inadequate shape, thus making the ride a complete failure. No, people jump on that ride and hold on for dear life, wanting to be scared to the edge and, at the very end, realize that they have been ultimately entertained.

Similarly, viewers of Top Gun, whether in the original theater release or on a nightly rental a decade later, did not expect to see an Oscar winning performance. They came to satisfy the almost basic need in each human for adventure and danger. Little kids, when asked what they want to become when they grow up, almost always pick an adventurous profession. Police officer, fireman, pilot, or racecar driver is what they claim while they slash a plastic jet through the air and make engine noises with saliva-covered lips. Rarely will a child say I wish to become a librarian, a seamstress, or the guy who stitches the tags into people's underwear. And make no mistake, people generally do not outgrow these feelings; they simple suppress them as life continues and the realities and expectations of adulthood take control.

The movies, however, offers a legitimate escape, one that frees people's minds and lets them revisit what they had once wanted. Top Gun lets us all jump into the cockpit and pretend. It allows us to dismiss our responsibilities for two hours and become a pilot who we all know will experience heartache and difficulty but ultimately emerge heroic. The plot exists as a predictable storyboard, and the characters have the strength of a house of cards, but none of that matters.

Long before Tom Cruise found the secret of life in scientology, and years before he played "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" on Oprah's couch-basically, back when he could act and entertain, he made us all want to be Maverick. Each man imagines, even if just for a few blissful moments, that he won the dog fight, descended the ladder into the arms of his fellow soldiers, and went off on a sharp motorcycle with a beautiful blonde and Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone" playing inside his head. Each woman could relax and relish in the idea that she too would have her hero, the man she seduced and won, come home to her not only victorious, but also changed and in love.

Some movies deserve reflection and thought, but others do not. Not every film should be subject to an analytical machine gun. Not every movie leaves the editing bay with the hopes of winning an Academy Award. Some are just made to entertain and excite. So, if you want to take a walk back in time to the glorious 80s, flip up that shirt collar, bust out the suspenders, slide those fat laces into your shell-top adidas, put your Wham cassette into your Sony Walkman, and head down to Blockbuster to rent Top Gun. Come on home, cook some Jiffy Pop on the stove-you know the kind with the wire metal handle, throw a floral patterned slipcover on the couch, step lightly across the plastic sheets lining the places you can walk on the carpet, hit play on your blue ray disc and let this film come to life on your 60-inch plasma, complete with a kicker box, subwoofers, and five Bose surround sound speakers. This is when you'll know that life is good.

Look for the orginal cut, the special edition, or thenew blue-ray release at the following places:

http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/product.asp?sku=D72595&gclid=CLeg0JH5rJkCFQrAGgodXA4RKQ

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002WZTOI/immaculate-books

http://video.barnesandnoble.com/search/product.asp?r=1&popup=0&EAN=97360413946

http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=097360563849

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=top+gun&sc=titleSP&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=%A0-Artist&ks=960

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gun_(film)