“Top Gun” is the story of a hotshot Navy pilot, and it’s a love story. Starring Tom Cruise, the movie is heralded as a penultimate ‘80s classic, with a soundtrack and cast alongside it. While the movie has its exciting sequences (most featuring military fighter planes engaging in various death-defying stunts throughout), the film is laggy in places, even somewhat boring in others, and wraps itself up in a too-familiar way. If you can look past all that, and past its thin script, viewers will still find and entertaining picture and a good way to pass an hour and 50 minutes.
“Top Gun” stars Tom Cruise. He here plays ace pilot ‘Maverick’ – no one goes by their real name in this movie it seems. Alongside Maverick we also have Goose (Anthony Edwards), Iceman (Val Kilmer) and Viper (Tom Skerritt).
The film’s beginning shows us what kind of man Maverick is. He’s cocksure and daring, breaking his orders to confront an enemy Russian fighter jet (called a MiG), before flipping the Russian pilot the bird. He’s also caring, as we see him risk running out of fuel himself to rescue his friend Cougar (John Stockwell), after he experiences some shock mid air. But with Cougar out of the Air Force due to this, Maverick and Goose are chosen to go to Top Gun – an elite pilot training school that specializes in air-to-air combat.
This is the basic plot of “Top Gun” – minus a few necessities, such as a rival pilot in the name of Iceman, and a love interest in one of the school’s instructors, played by Kelly McGillis. The point of “Top Gun” is to stack it with young talent, insert a lot of machismo and one-liners, and let audiences enjoy the ride.
The problem is it doesn’t always work. It’s difficult at times to pick apart what drags the film down and what doesn’t. Is it the acting? Not really. Cruise does a good job playing Maverick, and fills his shoes easily. While not as captivating as Cruise’s other portrayal of an officer (“A Few Good Men”), Maverick is engaging enough to keep our attention. Alongside him, Anthony Edwards is also pretty solid, and puts in a good portrayal that in no way hints of his reserved Mark Greene from TV.s’ “ER.” Throw in a couple of officers, played by the aforementioned Skerritt and Michael Ironside, and the film’s talent-tool is stacked up pretty well.
Kilmer’s a problem. Acting wise, he’s fine, but the script paints him so thin there’s not room for him to do much. He fights with Maverick at the school because the script declares he must – there’s no heart in it for him. Likewise, Kelly McGillis is painted just as thin – there’s not much backstory to flesh out her character, and no real reason for her and Maverick’s romance aside from once again – the script’s need for one. They have a few scenes – mostly a lot of buildup – and that’s pretty much it. It’s obvious throughout that Cruise is the star of the film, and “Top Gun” doesn’t do a whole lot to build up the others.
That’s not to say the film is not without merit. Rapport between Maverick and Goose, as well as Maverick and Viper, turn the film a bit deeper than it could have been without. Especially one scene, as Viper counsels Maverick after a high-skies tragedy, show that the film has the right intentions.
The soundtrack is repetitive yet pleasing. Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” and Berlin’s “Take My Breath Away” cycle throughout the film’s tense scenes and romantic scenes respectively. And some old classics, such as “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling,” and “Great Balls of Fire” find their way in as well. The rest of the movie has a pleasant score, featuring synthesizers, drums, and the “Top Gun Anthem” written by Harold Faltermeyer. The movie sounds ‘80s – you have to give it credit for that.
Apart from this, there’s not much else to the film. It culminates in a predictable way, but you’ll probably be expecting this about 10 minutes in. This is not a film of sharp drama, but rather a easy-watch film that pours together all the ingredients for a Hollywood romance/actioner. The film is rated PG and feels like it. You’ll see a lot of high flying stunts, a lot of machismo, and a couple scenes that border on great. That may be enough for you. But those looking to be on the edge of their seats in excitement may want to look elsewhere.
– by Mark Ziobro
