Cruise gets Maverick with a Goose
"Top Gun" tells the story of Maverick (Tom Cruise - Risky Business) and his wing man Goose (Anthony Edwards - Zodiac) as they are sent to train at Miramar Naval Academy in the Top Gun program, where the top pilots go to train. Maverick is reckless and considered a loose cannon and soon develops a rivalry with Ice Man (Val Kilmer - At First Sight) his complete opposite, Ice Man is cool and flies with precision. While at Top Gun, Maverick falls for instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis - Ground Control) and goes through a journey that will see him challenged in ways he's never been to become the top gun in the Navy.
So "Top Gun", one of the most iconic movies of the 80s and the one that Tom Cruise will always be remembered for. The story centres on the character of Maverick as he attempts to become the best pilot, as well as his romance with one of his instructors. Too be honest, it's not the most substantial of plots, but there is enough little sub plots to pad it out into a reasonable good movie.
Along with this, there is plenty of action sequences and outrageous machismo. So with all of this, "Top Gun" is a satisfying movie for the majority of the audience, not wanting to sound sexist or stereotypical, but there is the romance story and Tom Cruise's good looks to satisfy the females and then there is the action and Kelly McGillis to satisfy the males.
In general, "Top Gun" is a good movie, which will remain a favourite of many who remember seeing it back in the 80s. With that in mind, has "Top Gun", after 20 years, become dated? Too be honest No, it does seem a little bit cheesy compared to many of the recent action films, but it still has enough in there to satisfy new audiences. I may be a bit biased, as I remember seeing this back in the 80s and it has always stayed with me since.
In the lead role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is Tom Cruise and to be fair he pulls off the character with ease. Although he comes over as arrogant and cocky, he is extremely likeable as he battles with his inner demons. In my opinion, this film launched Cruise into mega stardom, but could have also been the death of his career, as it could have easily lead him to be typecast.
Opposite Cruise as his love interest is Kelly McGillis although is not spectacular provides an adequate performance, and allows Cruise to shine in their joint scenes. Making up the cast you have Anthony Edwards as Goose, Val Kilmer as Iceman and Tom Skerritt as Viper, along with a brief appearances from Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins. All in all, the entire cast put in good performances, although the only one who will be really remembered for this film is Tom Cruise.
"Top Gun" is directed by Tony Scott and I feel this was the film which established him as a good director of big budget movies. Through his direction, he has created a very watch able movie, which although is not the most thought provoking it is still very enjoyable. He has created a good balance of action and drama which will appeal to most viewers. The soundtrack to the movie is also one of the most memorable with songs such as "Danger Zone", "Top Gun Anthem" and the un-missable Maverick's and Goose's version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", which created one of the funniest chat up moves in history.
What this all boils down to is that with "Top Gun" having entered its 20s, has it still got the same appeal as it had back in 1986. In my eyes, yes it may seem to be cheesier than what I remembered, and compared to modern action movies, it looks quite lame. But for those who grew up with "Top Gun", it is still a pleasure to watch it, a reminder of growing up in the fashionable 80s and a reminder why it was so successful. You know when a film reaches iconic status, because other films make a parody of it, in this case just look at Hot Shots.
