Top Gun: Pasión y gloria

Hot shot fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) clashes with other pilots at Top Gun School while trying to prove himself and live down his father's bad reputation. He also makes time to get sexy with instructor Kelly McGillis, who may or may not have lost that lovin' feelin'. What an awesome movie. Who doesn't love Top Gun? It made Tom Cruise a household name, gave us countless quotable lines, and has one of the best soundtracks ever. Yeah, it's cheesy and formulaic but it's also a lot of fun. Hey, it's got a mustachioed Anthony Edwards playing a dude called Goose! How cool is that? One word of caution for all the young guys out there: following a woman into the ladies room will not work out well for you. Only Maverick can pull that off and get away with it.

I can't believe the reviews I have read about Top Gun being technically inaccurate, not enough character development, an overall simple and childish plot... gimme a freegin' break! This film was made to look cool, sound cool, and define cool. Yeah, okay, the MiG-28s are really F-5 Tigers; I've read the 'goofs' section before. And Tom Cruise's height. And about 'Maverick going supersonic - I'll be there in 30 seconds,' and the laws of physics preventing him from covering 200 or so miles from the carrier in that time. Whatever! So what! If Top Gun had tried to be accurate and true-to-life in every respect, it would have been some oh-so-serious flick like Courage Under Fire. Here's some examples of what I mean:

1 - what's the best way to evade cannon fire? Do a snazzy barrel roll. Problem solved!

2 - the MiG pilots have tinted visors. The good guys don't. Go figure.

2.5 - Russian planes are actually grey or green. The MiG 28s are black. The Tomcats are... yeah, you guessed it... white! Good vs. Evil.

3 - Modern air-to-air combat is usually fought at distances of tens of miles between aircraft. Top Gun uses much cooler spitting-distance WWI era tactics.

4 - "It's too close for missiles. I'm switching to guns!" Enough said.

5 - the generic guy carrying coffee who gets knocked over by the fuming air-control officer. We never see him get up. Classic.

6 - even the edited TV version is a few steps above normal-cool. "... you'll be flying a cargo plane [edit]... out of Hong Kong!"

7 - the way Iceman says, "Mayday, Mav's in trouble. He's in a flat spin, and heading out to sea."

8 - the graceful way Top Gun maintained a PG rating, without using the F-word once.

Top Gun came out in 1986. That's 1986. Seventeen years ago. It rocked then... it rocks now. Just watch it and have some fun.

The fact that people are still writing about this film 15yrs after it was first released (and I'm not just talking about me!) really says a lot. I was dubious about writing a comment, seeing as it really has been ages since it was released and thinking that most people who wanted to see it probably already have. After recently watching it for the umpteenth time on TV, I felt compelled to write a quickie ;) I have to say, it's the first time I looked up Top Gun on the imdb and I was actually quite surprised that it only received a 6.4 rating. If you haven't seen the movie yet, don't judge it by the ratings, read a few user comments first and just rent it out, I guarantee you'll have a good time, especially with its amazing soundtrack! The best 80's songs ever written, I still get chills down my back listening to them ;) It's a simple plot but there's something about it that makes it a seriously enjoyable film and one you can watch time and time again. Go have fun! Enjoy!

It is bizarre to define it or to give an opinion about it. It is legendary, the perfect mix of heroism, love, soundtrack and... Tom Cruise, rivalry and fly. Maybe, its lovely simplicity is the key of huge succes. And the discover of basic, small things defining us.

Maverick's a pilot for the navy, flies aircraft, as if he was, a little crazy, selected for Top Gun, he thinks it might be fun, not a train, but a fast plane, will make his gravy. Lots of dogfights keep him active in ascension, but so does Charlie who has captured his attention, can't resist a little tryst, with the flying egoist, business and pleasure causes conflict and high tension. Alas, the wings come off, there's tragedy; guilt, regret, remorse, reproach fill Maverick's day, it's a struggle to recover, regain momentum just to hover, unearth the courage to continue and find a way.

As 1980s a film as you could ever wish for.