The entire soundtrack to this movie was incredible. Between the rock songs, the pop songs, and the stellar instrumental by Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens, the whole album is a definitive classic.
I have not been able to get the soundtrack out of my head since I watched it 😂 Mostly been alternating between the Main Theme and "Danger Zone." Though "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" has popped up a few times too! So good!
@@movienightwithjacqui Top Gun It had a lot of influence from MTV, at that time MTV was all the rage and several movies of the time tried to copy the style, that's why Top Gun has several stylized moments like music videos. Rocky 4 was another MTV influence, it also has a lot of musical montages.
My Dad took me to see this in the theater, back when it first came out. I was totally bonkers over fighter jets. Dad was in the Navy, stationed at the Master Jet Base for the East Coast, Naval Air Station Oceanna. He woke me up before dawn the next day, and took me to the base, and sat me on the back porch of the Air Ops building, right at the flightline. He handed me a cheap camera, and a handfull of change for the snack and drink machines inside the building. I spent the whole day taking pics of the planes flying. I even got a couple of squadron patches from pilots! Easily one of my very best memories from high school.
The kids of the last couple of generations have had so many options with cable, internet, video games. I don't know if it is a generational thing because I remember some of my peers being unaware of some older movies for the adult or dramatic content, so they were protected, I guess.
Military here. I had a callsign/radio handle: Rubber. Don't get dirty thoughts. I was in refueling and forgot to release the trailer brakes. The rear wheels were dragging for about a quarter mile when I got a radio call to release them. Dispatch announced it over the radio. "Congratulations. You're handle is now Rubber." It could have been worse. They were going to call me Skidmark.
What was the most unfortunate callsign you ever heard or know of? Just out of curiosity... and I head that all call signs have to be given the OK by the CO before it's set in stone to prevent anything too bad
@@grant4360 They really didn't have any inappropriate call signs, but a real funny one was Left Leg. Left leg was called that because he got tattoos on both of his legs in Japanese Kanji. They looked really cool. Supposedly, he thought they said 'Honor' and 'Duty'. Our Japanese Captain saw them during our morning run and asked him if he knew what they meant. He said 'Honor and duty'. She replied, 'No, they don't. They say 'Left Leg, Right Leg' and they're on the wrong leg.' So he was then labeled Left Leg from then on out.
@@grant4360 We had an ejection seat mechanic who "took a shortcut" and set off the seat he was working on inside the hanger. He actually lived. It took awhile to put humpty dumpty back together again but eventually he came back to the squadron a little worse for the wear. New nickname of Rocketman and we'd sing "Rocketman gonna fly so high..." every time he walked by. Of course walk was a loose approximation as his right leg was now shorter than his left. We called that the Martin Baker shuffle after the manufacturer of the ejection seat.
"You! You are still dangerous. But you can be my wingman any time." "Bullshit! You can be mine." Fun Fact: The real Top Gun School imposes a $5 fine to any staff member that quotes the film. Let's Go Fact: Riding on the back of this film's success, the U.S. Navy set up recruiting booths in the major cinemas to try and catch some of the adrenaline charged guys leaving the screenings. They had the highest applications rate for years as a result. Real Viper Fact: Charlie's (Kelly McGillis) "older man" date at the officer's club is Rear Admiral Pete "Viper" Pettigrew. He is a retired Navy pilot and Top Gun instructor, and shot down a MIG during the Vietnam War. He served as the technical consultant on the film.
1986 was an incredible year for Tom Cruise. On top of TOP GUN, he also appeared in another movie titled THE COLOR OF MONEY (directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starring Paul Newman), which is worth watching IMO. THE COLOR OF MONEY is notable for winning Paul Newman his only ever Best Actor Oscar after several losses. TOP GUN: MAVERICK is fantastic too.
The actor who played Goose's replacement, was the computer expert in the first Die Hard movie. He was also a major player in the Chuck Norris TV show, "Walker, Texas Ranger".
I said the same thing before it came out. That and things like this movie will be bad, it’s unnecessary, what would the plot even be. Boy was I wrong. But I don’t know about a 3rd film. Maverick was lightning in a bottle, no way they can repeat that performance.
Dialog was better in the first. The entire scenario was less forced. Also, better shock factor with antics. The sequel tried to duplicate some, but the situations were weaker and some came off as poorly rehashed or forced.
@@geeebuttersnap2433 I don't think another sequel will be as good (though they're gonna try, they made too much money). But I would like to see a _prequel._ Set it in Vietnam with Duke (Mav's dad) and Viper. Set it around '68, when US pilots were still losing, leading to the need to create the Top Gun school in the first place. You could actually still do some in-flight shooting; there are a number of privately owned, still flying MiG-21 and 17 in the US, along with exactly one F-4. There are also F-4s in the Greek and Turkish air forces that the film might "borrow" for a day or two of shooting.
having been attached to an F-14 fighter squadron when this movie was released it was pretty cool. and I wouldn't say working the flight deck was fun but it was seriously intense and you had to really pay attention because accidents up there can be fatal. Also his jacked said cruise because it is called a cruise jacket.
I was an infantry lieutenant in Germany when this movie hit the AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Services - the PX system) theater. That same week junior lieutenants and captains began the quickly annoying practice of singing to every single German woman either at the Officer's Club or at the local pubs. American women were noticably absent in our neck of the military. The last movie I saw on that first tour was "Platoon". It made all of us proud to be infantry. Definitely a movie you need to see if you haven't already. Charlie Sheen's performance was good; it was almost as good as his other war classic, "Hot Shots Deux". The scene of the boats passing on the river in that movie always brings a tear to my eye.
The bar they filmed the piano/Great Balls of Fire scene is still open in San Diego and it is a really cool place to visit if you like the movie. Also its a 5 min car ride from a retired aircraft carrier, the USS MIDWAY, that has airplanes and helicopeters ranging from WW2 to the early 2000s
So.....I actually worked on this film as a PA. I worked for an SFX company in the S.F. bay area. My brother-in-law was the stage manager and got me the job right out of high school. We animated the red and green targeting computers as well as the missle strikes on the jets. Both "MiG's" and F-14's were roughly 6 foot long models that we blew the HELL out of. I also got a chance to fire off the tracer rounds during the final battle. The first day we filmed outdoors, we were in some high-end neighborhood in the Oakland hills. We were using a Navy surplus PT boat "fogger" to create clouds. A local Karen tried to shut us down with her "authoritah". The PoPo and our permits said otherwise. What did I learn from this experience....? Never, ever trust a partially burned pyrotechnics tech that's missing fingers (seeing Danny McBride in Tropic Thunder brought it all back for me). Love your channel! Keep it up.
Interesting you noted the connection between fighter planes and motorcycles. After WW2, returning pilots sought an outlet for their 'need for speed.' What had been leather bomber jackets became motorcycle jackets, and in the 1940s and 50s the motorcycle gang as we now know it was born - Hell's Angels being the most famous. My dad would have been one of those guys if not for his domineering mother who kept him on the straight and narrow. But he did keep his leather jacket the rest of his life, and got his own private plane as soon as he could.
I joined the Navy in 1983 and became a Naval Aircrewman. I was stationed about an hour north of you at Pacific Missile Test Center (Now Naval Base Ventura County). Went to see this at the theater wearing my flight jacket, but with jeans and boots. Incredible movie experience on the big screen! Watched it half a dozen times again in the cinemas. PMTC did a lot of development on the F-14 weapons systems and we had a squadron of them at the Naval Air Station. Liked how you pointed out the Hero's journey and predicted Goose's demise so early in the film. The indicators are there if you know to look for them.
Totally agree with that. I'm not the biggest fan of the first one so I went into Maverick thinking it would be enjoyable but probably not great. I was totally wrong. Maverick is an excellent film that respects the original and pays homage to it while taking things in a slightly new direction. I really liked it a lot.
@@RoGueNavy indeed. I liked her character though and thought they did an awful job closing her plotline in the sequel. Would've loved to see her return, but since she didn't, they did the character a massive injustice by only giving her an offhand reference. Still a good movie but as I said, I enjoyed her character development in the first movie only for it to vaporize in Maverick.
It has been nearly 40 years since I was a teen watching this iconic summer blockbuster in theaters. With that said, the Goose joke is still too early to tell. :P I'm glad you enjoyed this timeless action classic. Your reaction reflects the love for it. If you thought this was awesome, then prepare to have your mind expanded and blown by the legacy sequel that is called Maverick.
The Goose joke has been very polarizing 😅 Some people think it's hilarious, and others don't. I debated whether to include it, but alas, I can't resist a pun! Thank you so much for watching, and I'm glad you enjoyed the reaction. I can't wait to watch Maverick! I've heard nothing but incredible things about it!
I was 16 years old training to be a glider pilot in the Canadian Air Cadets back in 1986. Our instructor told us that Top Gun was "required viewing" so this movie is near and dear to my heart. Have to say it killed me a little that you predicted Goose's death so early (but props to you for seeing it coming). For me it's what sets the film apart from a straight forward rivalry/sports film. It came out of left field for me way back then. I just subscribed- looking forward to you watching TG:Maverick! I had to wait 36 years for the sequel... And it was worth the wait! PS- You might want to react to "Hot Shots" later- it's the comedic take on Top Gun.
Regarding the infamous vollyball scene, that was shot after they had completed primary filming. They showed the movie to test audiences and the women didn't like it, so they added that one scene...
Top gun: Maverick is the Perfect Sequel, and has a great Homage to Goose. Like Ghostbusters: Afterlife did for Spengler/Ramis (RIP). The Wonderful thing was, Cruise refused to go ahead with the Movie unless it had the Iceman in it! Val had trouble speaking, but they managed to write him in with an Integral Part. One of my High School Classmates was the Daughter of a Pilot for the Air force's Thunderbirds... Pilot Malias (Call Sign "Meat").
Goose's death was caused by two actual design flaws that existed in the F-14 Tomcat at that time. Engine flameouts like the one that happened to Maverick's plane were common with the Pratt and Whitney engine used on the F-14 at that time. The engine was very powerful and could provide a lot of forward thrust, but if air couldn't flow right into the intakes at all times, those engines would shut off. The Navy had to replace the engine with a more robust GE engine in the 90s to fix this issue. The second flaw was in how the F-14's canopy was ejected. The canopy all too often ended up floating right above an ejecting aircrewman, killing him.
You pointed out some foreshadowing for Goose I never caught...now that I see them again it so fits!! Great watch and observations. You are good at this,
The details that helped her foreshadow Goose's death became a sort of cliche after this movie, as was shown in the parody of it, "Hot Shots, Part Deux."
- 24:56 - ...and the entire flock goes. "That's ba-a-a-a-d!" His Goose was cooked... I will not spoil anything with 'Top Gun: Maverick', but I will say...remember the name, Penny Benjamin. One of the best Tony Scott movies. Like his older brother, Ridley, Tony is a wonderful director. One of my favorite films of Tony's was the vampire film, 'The Hunger' starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon. I was a freshman in high school when this came out, and I saw it about 6 times in the theater (including on a date). This is still in my top 20 favorite films of all time. When it came out, the Navy saw recruiting go up 500%. If you haven't seen 'Witness', that's another great Kelly McGillis movie (with her leading man being Harrison Ford in his only Best Actor Oscar-nominated performance).
Jacqui, you had me at "His goose is cooked"! 😂 If you liked this one, you'll love Top Gun : Maverick. You hit the nail right on the head when you compliment the editing. They say the first cut of the movie was a disaster because you couldn't tell what was happening. This movie was litterally saved in editing. They learned from this and TG:M is just perfection, plus the story line is way richer. Can't wait to see your reaction to it. I will only say one thing: just remember the admiral's daughter name. It bugs me to no end when people don't catch that! 😉 Thank you for your reaction!
A little Movie trivia for you, you spoke about Maverick and Charlie’s amazing chemistry but the crazy part is she actually started dating Wolfman during the shooting of the movie and the directors weren’t happy about it because they thought it could affect the chemistry between her and maverick, but clearly as you saw it did not lol
Your confusion in the opening scene would have been alleviated if you saw it like I did. I was 15 years old, in a theater with my career Navy uncle and fresh navy recruit brother. The second the pic of Wolfman's wife and kid showed on his panel, my uncle shouted "THAT'S NOT THE PLACE FOR THAT!" so the whole theater could hear it. Suddenly we all felt the panic wolfman felt, it was amazing. One of those things from childhood you never forget.
1. Note the beginning of variations on the recurring theme of many TC movies - "chasing the ghost of an absent father." 2. Chemistry is on point but what's considered "romance" is the only thing not well written in this script. I think either Siskel or Ebert said said something like, nothing that these two say to each other in this movie resembles how people in love talk in real life 😂 Also fwiw read up on all the ways they hid how much taller Kelly McGillis is than TC 😂 3. Meg Ryan's first film
Now that I think about it, this definitely isn't the first fatherless son role he's played bc there was no dad in The Outsiders but that just tells you how far back the theme goes. There is rarely if ever? a father role who he interacts with onscreen. He doesn't play a father much either.
My experience with this movie? I was in NJROTC (High school Navy Junior ROTC)... and after this movie came out and we all saw it a bunch of times at the theater, we come back to school in the fall and who is our new NJROTC teacher? A U.S. Navy Commander who drives up in his red convertible, in his Khaki uniform and leather flight jacket.... an actual F-14 pilot. Commander Richmond was our frickin' hero! And the girls in the NJROTC class? It's a good thing that CDR Richmond was an upstanding and married man... 'Nuf said. We watched that movie almost every day at lunch in the basement that was the NJROTC room(s)...
I'm a 50 year old guy, when this movie came out i watched it at the theatre with my friends, i was 13 years old first year in high school. Oh my goodness how time flies..pun intended.
Love your reaction to this movie. Great job. Can't wait til you see Mavrick. I like the point you brought up the 1st part of the movie with what happened to the pilot and the foreshadowing for what will happen later in the movie. Never thought of it like that no matter how many times I seen this movie when it first started.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm really looking forward to watching Maverick! Part of me really wishes I didn't notice the foreshadowing so I couldn't experienced Goose's death the way others did, but it was such good writing! 😄
An F14 pilot who had studied photojournalism had taken a lot of iconic photographs. Not only did he take the Photograph in the article that inspired the Movie he also turned the director around from making basically Apocalypse now on an aircraft carrier into making a popcorn movie with gorgeous jets and scenery. He's also the pilot who fired the missiles the F14 jets fire. Those are real missiles coming off the F14.
I believe only one of those missiles were real iirc, the military gave them permission for one missile and they used some sort of movie magic to make it seem like there were several. The story goes that after the movie came out, the US Navy questioned them as to whether or not they fired more and didn’t tell them! Maybe it’s wrong but it’s a great story nonetheless.
@@kugelblitzkrieg It's clearly two missiles a Sparrow and Sidewinder. It was intended they would only fire one but they managed to get additional footage of a second missile.
The soundtrack to this movie is amazing. The F-14 is one of my top 2 fighters. I used to watch this all the time with my old man growing up. This film is responsible for my love of military aviation and is what led me to join the Australian Navy as an Aircraft Technician.
An absolute 80's Classic. Funny, heart-breaking, great action, and an amazing soundtrack (Top Gun Anthem by Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens is still an all-time favourite, nearly four decades later). Great pick and great reaction (as always) Jacqui, looking forward to the sequel video now. 👍✌❤
Speaking of seeing it for the first time, my wife and I tried to watch it at the Millington Naval Air Station base theatre in 1986. The base was the Navy's aviation rate training station and the theatre was packed with students from all the schools, Aviation Machinist Mate, Aviation Electronics Mate, Air Traffic Controller, etc. Every time there was a plane or a carrier on screen they were screaming. the dogfight scenes were deafening. We didn't hear half of the movie until it came out on VHS. Love your videos.
When this movie came out, I was in an ROTC program in college. As a comparison, Platoon also came out in 1986. If there was a hyped scale used for movies, where "Totally Bummed" was one side of the meter, and "Psyched out of my mind" (Elf) was the opposite end...Platoon was maxed out on Bummed out, and Top Gun was maxed out on Psyched. After graduation, I became an Army attack helicopter pilot, with the callsign, "Skidder". 30-some years later, most of the folks who know me, know be by my callsign. This is the biggest drawback to callsign use, even your best friends couldn't file a missing person's report on you, because they don't know your real name. On a related note...when the war on terror started after Sep 11, I ran a team in the desert which had both US and partner nations on the team. One of the Australian's on my team was an F/A-18 pilot who was actually named Pete Mitchell, and his callsign...yep... Maverick.
The part that I always laughed at, in the final Air battle scene, when they show the "MiG-28"(Really an F-5) firing it's cannon, they show a Vulcan, the gun on the F-24, and when they show the F-14 firing, it's the single barrel cannon on an F-5
As a modeller, I watched this movie a lot of times to get the right info for building an accurate Maverick's plane, and you get some details that usually go undetected due to the high pace of the scenes. In some of the sequences, the Tomcats used are not the ones they are supposed to depict (Iceman's plane instead of Maverick's, things like that), for example. My favoruite one is the iconic inverted flight with the MiG, the "birdie finger" and the photo. The scene is mirrored. Names onthe plane are inverted and Maverick is using his left hand as opposed to the last scene, where he uses hir right hand.
wow, you are the FIRST reactor I have seen who predicts Gooses's death ! And it still hit you hard - for all the reasons you listed in your summary. Yes, the chemistry between Charlie and Maverick is STRONG ! An instant iconic classic movie - top notch for sure ! I think you will LOVE the "Maverick" sequel - I saw it in on the big screen - awesomeness ! (I wonder if "Maverick" set the record for longest duration between original and sequel ??? hmmm, there have been LOTS of movie and sequels tho)
During the filming of this movie was delayed multiple times. One of the aerobatic stunt pilots flying a camera plane named Art Scholl (An air show veteran, and stunt legend) died in the filming. Saw this open just after graduating from college. We all felt so powerful then. Thanks for the great review!!!
As a aircraft maintainer (EA-6B's) when this came out, we loved the flight deck shots more than the flying. It's a beautiful, albeit dangerous, ballet of everyone involved.
I went as Maverick for Halloween as a kid at 7. The haircut, aviators, bomber jacket and all. This was the first movie that ever made me cry. I've still never fully let Goose go, I can't lie. "I think she's lost it. "I hate when she does that..." Lets see if she spots Andy before he goes to Shawshank at the end...
I'm going to change it up a little with my movie suggestion but keep it close to the same time period with one of my top 5 favorite movies. " Days of Thunder". You don't have to be a racing fan to appreciate it and i think you would enjoy it
I think a lot of people seeing these movies now miss the fact that, yes these movies are formulaic - but in a lot of cases, that's because they helped create the formulas. When we watched these as new films, it was much harder to guess things like Goose's fate. They hold up because they're well-crafted movies, but they're classics because they helped define the stereotypes and tropes used by/for the cinematic generations that followed.
So fun fact, all the planes in the movie are real, with a few miniatures in place of things the Navy wouldn't let them do. One of those things was firing missiles. The Navy authorized 2 real missile shots for the whole movie, so they filmed as many angles as they could get. But when push came to shove and they needed more missile shots, they recreated them as miniatures, and they were so realistic that the Navy had to investigate to make sure they hadn't gone over their 2 missile limit
Saw this on release day when I was a 15 year-old boy back in 1986. It blew EVERYBODY's minds "Rapier" I wasn't military, but that was my stage name at our Renaissance Festival here in Minnesota.
My call sign, for communications, not aviation, was Prattypus. Bestowed upon me one drunken camping trip while reliving a scene from BioDome combined with my last name. I still get called Pratt, or Pratty about 3 times more often than Jason.
I'll give you a good personal experience with this movie...... when it came out in 1986, I was 4 years old and this is obviously not a 4 year old appropriate movie. My mom told my dad to bring me to like a Disney movie, but my dad, who ended up being a 42- year Army vet, wanted to see this instead, so we did. When we got home, he made me promise that I wouldn't tell my mother that we'd seen that movie so I said fine, but as soon as I walked through the door I told her how it was the most amazing movie I'd ever seen and also noted that she was giving my father the death stare for taking me to see it. I'll always remember that moment 😂😂😂
We talk about movies and editing and such, but if there is one thing to remember, it is this ... next time you hear a news story, or read a headline about a US service member being killed in a training accident, remember Goose and the wife and child he left behind.
I so love the emotional honesty in your reviews :) Always a fun experience. As to call signs, never been in the military in real life but served through the Fourth Succession War in a fictional world. Captain "Dallas" Sukerkin, Merchant Adventurers Company, Thackstone's Battalion, Third Crucis Lancers Regimental Combat Team, Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, House Davion. Maybe one day we'll get a proper BattleTech movie when the copyright wars are over :D
Find your closest warbird flight place, many have L-39’s you can pay to fly back seat in for 40 minutes. It’s not cheap, but it’s oh so worth it. Bummer though, it doesn’t have afterburners. Note: you can’t go supersonic over US soil, even the military avoids it over populated areas due to the noise. There is one place in Louisiana, it has one of the only civilian owned F-4 Phantoms, and will take you out over the Gulf to break Mach 1. This one is even more expensive, but even more so worth it.
The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School is where the best of the best train to refine their elite flying skills. When hotshot fighter pilot Maverick (Cruise) is sent to the school, his reckless attitude and cocky demeanor put him at odds with the other pilots, especially the cool and collected Iceman (Kilmer). But he isn't only competing to be the top fighter pilot, he's also fighting for the attention of his beautiful flight instructor, Charlotte (McGillis).
I went, some 10+ years back with my wife to a drive in screening of Top Gun. In the UK these are not common. It's very much a US thing, but I'd always wanted to watch a movie at a drive in. So we booked this one and the venue was an airfield. It was dark and you couldn't really see any planes properly but you knew they were there and it was pretty awesome. They'd broadcast to your car's radio, there was food etc (but we already brought takeaway from elsewhere). Good times. At the end of the movie when we left, Danger Zone was still playing through the radio.
The hardest part of watching older iconic films is that they've been imitated so much since that despite them creating the formula you can easily see it and that makes them feel cliché. Back in 80-something or other Goose was a sucker punch.
Very 80’s, very corny, very hopped up on testosterone. 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. Can’t really fault that.
The late Tony Scott is Ridley Scott's brother. Tony Scott is famous for writing the US Navy a $25,000 check to get the aircraft carrier captain to change its course so he could get a shot he wanted. The movie advanced A2A (air to air) cinematography a great deal from earlier movies. At the time, it was the closest most people would ever get to flying fighter aircraft. It was good enough that the Air Force and Navy experienced a 500% increase in recruitment after the film. The US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (formerly Fighter Weapons School) aka TOPGUN fines students caught quoting lines from "Top Gun" $5 each.
I was a kid in the late 70s and my Stepdad was in the Navy even though he wasn’t a pilot but my Mom and I went to commissary ( base grocery and clothing store.) at Miramar and I would watch the F-14 TomCat pilots practice there “Touch and Go’s” ( Carrier Landings). When I was younger before that I stood next to a TomCat on a Carrier (I don’t remember which one.) and said “This Sucker is Big!” The RIO ( Radar Intercept Officer) next to me laughed and said “Yes! Yes it Is!”
The plus that the sequel has is that the actors were filmed in the cockpits of real planes in full, and everything looks very real, unlike the first one that the actors were filmed in studios with blue screens behind, and then replace the blue background with images of flights.
The dogfights and aerobatics are amazing, even if the script is sophomore at times. These were filmed by Art Scholl. The movie is dedicated to him, because he died filming the flat spin incident, where Goose died
This was my first video of yours (of many as I play catch-up). I started my time as a screenwriter back in the late 80s, and I love hearing comments from others also having a film/storytelling background. There's something about being immersed in it that gives it a different perspective (not better or worse, just different). With this reaction as an enjoyable introduction, I very much look forward to watching your other fare. Thanks.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this movie. I'm nuts about it, and have been since I it was first released. I've lost count of how often I've seen it--easily double-digits. Great film, great review!
One of the things I like to point out is the final scene and how it really reflects the differences between Iceman and Maverick. Iceman really is the better pilot, as he not only toes the line with his actions, but he is skilled enough to hold off five enemy fighters in a fully defensive action for minutes (realistically) until Maverick can get there, 100miles out. In a game where seconds are life and death Ice stays alive through sheer skill. Maverick is the wild card. He knows how to fly by the book, but he isn't afraid to fly to the legitimately dangerous edge of the aircraft's capability, ignoring some of the book and really pushing things to get an unexpected edge over the enemy. His main advantage is his instinct and one-ness with the plane. It sings for him. There really are pilots like that. I've always thought it was an interesting dynamic between them, one which really comes to a head in TG:Maverick.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is one of the most beautiful fighter aircraft to grace the skies. With its wings spread at low speed it is stable and maneuverable. At high speed and wings swept it is like an arrowhead screaming through the sky. Either way the pictures and film of it really show what an American "Muscle Jet" could be.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is, at least for me, the most iconic fighter jet EVER. It was the only fighter jet that could carry the AIM-120 "Phoenix" missile, designed for extremely long range engagement of Soviet bombers, had that ever been necessary. It was the "Defender of the Fleet", and carrier battle groups could rest easy, knowing the 'Cats were on the prowl. Additionally, it just looks bad@$$. It's got a swagger, even when it's parked. The swing-wings not only make it look more awesome, but they also allowed for better low-speed handling and maneuverability (extended), or screaming through Mach 2 at full afterburner (swept back). It's also a movie/tv star, as seen in this movie, and a few others, I believe. I'd love to see the 'Cat come back.
Great reaction to such a great movie. I loved what Kilmer did with Ice. From what I've heard, he wasn't given much of anything about Ice other than lines and some basic behavioral notes. I loved that he portrayed Ice as this super-confident pilot, but who when not flying really was awkward when it came to dealing with other people on an interpersonal level, like when we watched him struggle with how to speak to Mav about Goose's death. He gave Ice, who could have been an almost two-dimensional character as a throwaway rival role, some real depth and actual humanity. Weaknesses and the struggle to overcome them in characters are what make them real. Iceman became real. Tom Skerrit and Michael Ironside turned in great performances as Viper and Jester too. They were secondary characters and almost could have been throwaway characters with the exception of Viper's chat with Mav about his dad. But both Ironside's stoic and almost emotionless portrayal of Jester and Skerrit's portrayal of Viper gave personality to the characters as much as the script did. A side note that I learned from a high school buddy whose dad was a Naval aviator: Naval aviators generally were given their callsigns by the rest of their unit or by command officers, usually based on something about their personality or flying style. The prettyboy was Hollywood. The womanizing RIO was Wolfman. The technically perfect pilot who always tended to be at his best no matter what was Iceman. The one RIO who tended to mother hen his pilot was named after another famous mother, Goose. And the wild one who never seemed to care for and about the rules was obviously a Maverick. Jester of course got his name for his lighthearted nature, or lack of same obviously. 😀 Anthony Edwards was excellent as Goose. The one person who had the best chance of getting Maverick to stay close to the boundaries that he'd normally avoid and eschew, and the one who Maverick never wanted to let down. And he had a wife and son so of COURSE he was doomed to die. Hated that! 😞 And the script was, of course, so well done. So much effort was made to give so many characters actual character and personality. A lot of writers focus on the lead and the rival/foil/enemy and don't care much about anyone else. But in this efforts were made to give humanity and reality to even short term characters like Clarence Gilyard's Sundown (the replacement RIO for Goose while at Top Gun) and Tim Robbins' Merlin (Cougar's RIO at the beginning and Mav's RIO at the end). So well done!
Most call signs are awarded based on something funny or embarrassing. One RUclipsr & writer Ward Carroll is a former F-14 RIO (Goose). His call sign was Mooch, as he was constantly borrowing little stuff. There really was an Iceman, but he was a medical officer with cold hands
You get your call sign in flight school. Rarely do you ever choose your own. Your peers select your call-sign not really dependent on anything. Could be your personality, weaknesses, strengths. Usually a way to pick fun at you while being cool at the same time.
Regarding call signs; you do not get to pick your own. Your classmates in flight school pick it for you and they do not hold back on the jokes, embarrassment, or even cruelty when they assign it to you. I heard one story of a pilot whose last name was Tromboni; her callsign was "Rusty."
Late to the party, but only finding all these reaction channels recently 😮 Re: callsign aka c/s = was a Cold War Vet in the Canadian Armoured Corps, served with 2 regiments etc etc. We sometimes had a goofy nickname, but our callsigns was the vehicle designation i.e. 42F (pronounce 4..2.. Foxtrot) = Recce Squadron (recon for yall in the South), 2nd Troop, 7th vehicle of the Troop, with our c/s from 42 (the Troop Leader), then 42A etc etc to 42 F and such. My last c/s was 33C = C Sqn, 3rd Troop, 4th vehicle of 4 😉👍 Of course, even though we're Tankers, we watch all the military movies, along with others, in our spare time 😉 After Top Gun came out, during one of our Gun Camps (target practice etc)... one of our guys re-enacted the Cougar opening scene where he drops his wings on the desk and says, "He's lost the edge...". So buddy goes up to his Lt. (we say lef-tenant, like the Brits), and drops the Laser Safety key (it's for the range finder on the tank) on the table in front of the Lt... and says the iconic line, "Sir... I lost the edge", and walks off. 😮🙃😜 Apparently, the Lt didn't get the joke... FYI - the Top Gun OST was played by many of us over the intercom on our tanks, and I heard some of the guys would play it during a "battle run" i.e. when we drive down the range, shooting at targets etc etc 👍
Jacqui, I can’t wait for you to see the sequel Top Gun; Maverick, fun fact ably the sequel The Director and cruise worked with the Navy to build Cameras into actual fighter jets cockpits to capture the actors, also Tom cruise made every Actor who played pilots learn to fly Jets for real (and to operate the camera in the cockpit) it was a requirement,
"What would your callsign be?" Don't know and can't know b/c the only rule about callsigns is you can't pick your own. It must be given to you by the other pilots, and they usually give you a callsign based on some screw-up you did or humiliating personal characteristic. It's not mean. It's a way of reminding everyone with huge egos that they are, in fact, still human
You'll get way more views on movies than TV series (all ages love movies, niche groups like a particular TV show). Your last two movie reviews have 5x more viewers than your others. Keep it up and make your channel explode. Good job.
It's a great thing you think redder is better cause you're going to hell for that Goose joke :D Love your reactions so far on things and your analytical take on script, filming etc from your education but I was worried when you saw the accident coming that it wouldn't hit you hard but it was great to see it still affected you. I saw this in 86 while I was in high school and was planning on being a fighter pilot (ended up being too tall for it at the time) and none of us saw the Goose death coming but to this day I still get chills and upset when it happens no matter how many times I watch this.
I'm sure there are plenty of reasons I'm going to hell, so just add it to the pile 😂 Part of me really wishes I didn't see it coming, but the foreshadowing and the writing were just so good! It's heartbreaking, even when you know it's coming, and I can only imagine how devastating it was the first time watching. Thank you for watching!
'Why do I feel like fighter jets and motor cycles go hand in hand?' - I always feel that scene is Tony Scott's nod to a similar scene in the British film 'Reach for the Sky' (1956) about the inspirational story of RAF 'Battle of Britain' fighter pilot Douglas Bader, as played by Kenneth More. If you don't know his story, I won't spoil it. When I was growing up, the BBC broadcast it very regularly. Of course 1930's RAF officers played cricket, not volleyball.
As soon as I saw James Tolkan appear on the ship to give Maverick and Goose their orders to go to Top Gun, I yelled out "Slackers!!" :) (Back To The Future reference)
I love how they set Iceman up as an antagonist, and he is a bit of an asshole, but everything he says is 100% correct.
Absolutely! I think that's part of what makes him such a great antagonist. 👍🏻
@@movienightwithjacqui see if you can react to the movie Eight Legged Freaks
The entire soundtrack to this movie was incredible. Between the rock songs, the pop songs, and the stellar instrumental by Harold Faltermeyer and Steve Stevens, the whole album is a definitive classic.
I have not been able to get the soundtrack out of my head since I watched it 😂 Mostly been alternating between the Main Theme and "Danger Zone." Though "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" has popped up a few times too! So good!
@@movienightwithjacqui Top Gun It had a lot of influence from MTV, at that time MTV was all the rage and several movies of the time tried to copy the style, that's why Top Gun has several stylized moments like music videos. Rocky 4 was another MTV influence, it also has a lot of musical montages.
This soundtrack was the first cassette that I ever had.
@@movienightwithjacqui check out the full version of "Lead Me On" by Teena Marie, and "Through the Fire", by Cheap Trick.
the 80's top gun soundtrack is one of the best, kenny loggins, loverboy, cheap trick, berlin
"His Goose was cooked." definitely earned your like from me.
My Dad took me to see this in the theater, back when it first came out. I was totally bonkers over fighter jets. Dad was in the Navy, stationed at the Master Jet Base for the East Coast, Naval Air Station Oceanna. He woke me up before dawn the next day, and took me to the base, and sat me on the back porch of the Air Ops building, right at the flightline. He handed me a cheap camera, and a handfull of change for the snack and drink machines inside the building. I spent the whole day taking pics of the planes flying. I even got a couple of squadron patches from pilots! Easily one of my very best memories from high school.
That’s awesome, thank you for sharing that memory.
Cool, my Dad was a Naval Submarine Officer during Korea out of Pearl
It always amazes me when people haven't seen their parents' favorite movies... My parents forced me to watch all sorts of movies growing up...
We certainly "introduced" our kids to all our favourite movies ... and they love them.
I force my kids to do the same. If they want to watch a kids movie, they can watch it with mom.
That was not my father, but he did force me to watch The Andy Griffith show on the main TV.
The kids of the last couple of generations have had so many options with cable, internet, video games. I don't know if it is a generational thing because I remember some of my peers being unaware of some older movies for the adult or dramatic content, so they were protected, I guess.
The spin that killed goose actually killed the pilot who filmed the scene.
Military here. I had a callsign/radio handle: Rubber. Don't get dirty thoughts. I was in refueling and forgot to release the trailer brakes. The rear wheels were dragging for about a quarter mile when I got a radio call to release them. Dispatch announced it over the radio.
"Congratulations. You're handle is now Rubber."
It could have been worse. They were going to call me Skidmark.
What was the most unfortunate callsign you ever heard or know of? Just out of curiosity... and I head that all call signs have to be given the OK by the CO before it's set in stone to prevent anything too bad
@@grant4360 They really didn't have any inappropriate call signs, but a real funny one was Left Leg.
Left leg was called that because he got tattoos on both of his legs in Japanese Kanji. They looked really cool. Supposedly, he thought they said 'Honor' and 'Duty'. Our Japanese Captain saw them during our morning run and asked him if he knew what they meant. He said 'Honor and duty'. She replied, 'No, they don't. They say 'Left Leg, Right Leg' and they're on the wrong leg.' So he was then labeled Left Leg from then on out.
Hoser here. Nothing I did, just riffing on my name.
@@grant4360 We had an ejection seat mechanic who "took a shortcut" and set off the seat he was working on inside the hanger. He actually lived. It took awhile to put humpty dumpty back together again but eventually he came back to the squadron a little worse for the wear. New nickname of Rocketman and we'd sing "Rocketman gonna fly so high..." every time he walked by. Of course walk was a loose approximation as his right leg was now shorter than his left. We called that the Martin Baker shuffle after the manufacturer of the ejection seat.
lmfao fighter pilots callsign are so good hahahahahaha
"You! You are still dangerous. But you can be my wingman any time."
"Bullshit! You can be mine."
Fun Fact: The real Top Gun School imposes a $5 fine to any staff member that quotes the film.
Let's Go Fact: Riding on the back of this film's success, the U.S. Navy set up recruiting booths in the major cinemas to try and catch some of the adrenaline charged guys leaving the screenings. They had the highest applications rate for years as a result.
Real Viper Fact: Charlie's (Kelly McGillis) "older man" date at the officer's club is Rear Admiral Pete "Viper" Pettigrew. He is a retired Navy pilot and Top Gun instructor, and shot down a MIG during the Vietnam War. He served as the technical consultant on the film.
Those recruiters are real predators.
1986 was an incredible year for Tom Cruise. On top of TOP GUN, he also appeared in another movie titled THE COLOR OF MONEY (directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starring Paul Newman), which is worth watching IMO. THE COLOR OF MONEY is notable for winning Paul Newman his only ever Best Actor Oscar after several losses.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK is fantastic too.
The Color of Money is also a sequel to The Hustler (1961) Newman reprises his character from the first movie.
The actor who played Goose's replacement, was the computer expert in the first Die Hard movie. He was also a major player in the Chuck Norris TV show, "Walker, Texas Ranger".
May he rest in peace
Clarence Gilyard Jr.
“And the quarterback is toast”
Gilyard was also teaching acting in recent years. I knew someone who had a class of his.
He also played a prominent role, Conrad McMasters, on Matlock.
"Maverick" is actually a little better.
And I was one of the "Why do we need a 36-year-old-sequal?" people
I said the same thing before it came out. That and things like this movie will be bad, it’s unnecessary, what would the plot even be. Boy was I wrong. But I don’t know about a 3rd film. Maverick was lightning in a bottle, no way they can repeat that performance.
Dialog was better in the first. The entire scenario was less forced. Also, better shock factor with antics. The sequel tried to duplicate some, but the situations were weaker and some came off as poorly rehashed or forced.
@@geeebuttersnap2433 I don't think another sequel will be as good (though they're gonna try, they made too much money). But I would like to see a _prequel._ Set it in Vietnam with Duke (Mav's dad) and Viper. Set it around '68, when US pilots were still losing, leading to the need to create the Top Gun school in the first place. You could actually still do some in-flight shooting; there are a number of privately owned, still flying MiG-21 and 17 in the US, along with exactly one F-4. There are also F-4s in the Greek and Turkish air forces that the film might "borrow" for a day or two of shooting.
Top gun is a good film and sequels sometimes do not live up to the first but you are in for a real treat with maverick when you watch it.
I can't wait!
I was a Freshman in high school when this came out. It was a huge hit and a massive recruiting incentive for the Navy. Major hit movie!!!
having been attached to an F-14 fighter squadron when this movie was released it was pretty cool. and I wouldn't say working the flight deck was fun but it was seriously intense and you had to really pay attention because accidents up there can be fatal. Also his jacked said cruise because it is called a cruise jacket.
one of the most dangerous work[laces in the world. Probably on a par with or even exceeding oil rigs.
I nearly spat out my coffee with the "his Goose is cooked" joke. 😂
I'm glad you appreciated it! I was so hesitant to include it, but I couldn't help myself 😂
I was an infantry lieutenant in Germany when this movie hit the AAFES (Army and Air Force Exchange Services - the PX system) theater. That same week junior lieutenants and captains began the quickly annoying practice of singing to every single German woman either at the Officer's Club or at the local pubs. American women were noticably absent in our neck of the military.
The last movie I saw on that first tour was "Platoon". It made all of us proud to be infantry. Definitely a movie you need to see if you haven't already. Charlie Sheen's performance was good; it was almost as good as his other war classic, "Hot Shots Deux". The scene of the boats passing on the river in that movie always brings a tear to my eye.
The bar they filmed the piano/Great Balls of Fire scene is still open in San Diego and it is a really cool place to visit if you like the movie. Also its a 5 min car ride from a retired aircraft carrier, the USS MIDWAY, that has airplanes and helicopeters ranging from WW2 to the early 2000s
So.....I actually worked on this film as a PA. I worked for an SFX company in the S.F. bay area. My brother-in-law was the stage manager and got me the job right out of high school.
We animated the red and green targeting computers as well as the missle strikes on the jets. Both "MiG's" and F-14's were roughly 6 foot long models that we blew the HELL out of. I also got a chance to fire off the tracer rounds during the final battle.
The first day we filmed outdoors, we were in some high-end neighborhood in the Oakland hills. We were using a Navy surplus PT boat "fogger" to create clouds. A local Karen tried to shut us down with her "authoritah". The PoPo and our permits said otherwise.
What did I learn from this experience....? Never, ever trust a partially burned pyrotechnics tech that's missing fingers (seeing Danny McBride in Tropic Thunder brought it all back for me).
Love your channel! Keep it up.
Interesting you noted the connection between fighter planes and motorcycles. After WW2, returning pilots sought an outlet for their 'need for speed.' What had been leather bomber jackets became motorcycle jackets, and in the 1940s and 50s the motorcycle gang as we now know it was born - Hell's Angels being the most famous. My dad would have been one of those guys if not for his domineering mother who kept him on the straight and narrow. But he did keep his leather jacket the rest of his life, and got his own private plane as soon as he could.
I joined the Navy in 1983 and became a Naval Aircrewman. I was stationed about an hour north of you at Pacific Missile Test Center (Now Naval Base Ventura County). Went to see this at the theater wearing my flight jacket, but with jeans and boots. Incredible movie experience on the big screen! Watched it half a dozen times again in the cinemas. PMTC did a lot of development on the F-14 weapons systems and we had a squadron of them at the Naval Air Station. Liked how you pointed out the Hero's journey and predicted Goose's demise so early in the film. The indicators are there if you know to look for them.
If you love Rush and this you should see Cruise in Days of Thunder.
Hard as it is to believe, 36 years later, the sequel is even better!
Totally agree with that. I'm not the biggest fan of the first one so I went into Maverick thinking it would be enjoyable but probably not great. I was totally wrong. Maverick is an excellent film that respects the original and pays homage to it while taking things in a slightly new direction. I really liked it a lot.
Except... No Charlie. Kind of a travesty that made me lukewarm on the sequel.
@@sircrush3530 I really wasn't all that fond of her character. Plus, I think McGillis has retired from acting.
@@RoGueNavy indeed. I liked her character though and thought they did an awful job closing her plotline in the sequel. Would've loved to see her return, but since she didn't, they did the character a massive injustice by only giving her an offhand reference.
Still a good movie but as I said, I enjoyed her character development in the first movie only for it to vaporize in Maverick.
It has been nearly 40 years since I was a teen watching this iconic summer blockbuster in theaters. With that said, the Goose joke is still too early to tell. :P
I'm glad you enjoyed this timeless action classic. Your reaction reflects the love for it. If you thought this was awesome, then prepare to have your mind expanded and blown by the legacy sequel that is called Maverick.
The Goose joke has been very polarizing 😅 Some people think it's hilarious, and others don't. I debated whether to include it, but alas, I can't resist a pun!
Thank you so much for watching, and I'm glad you enjoyed the reaction. I can't wait to watch Maverick! I've heard nothing but incredible things about it!
I was 16 years old training to be a glider pilot in the Canadian Air Cadets back in 1986. Our instructor told us that Top Gun was "required viewing" so this movie is near and dear to my heart.
Have to say it killed me a little that you predicted Goose's death so early (but props to you for seeing it coming). For me it's what sets the film apart from a straight forward rivalry/sports film. It came out of left field for me way back then.
I just subscribed- looking forward to you watching TG:Maverick! I had to wait 36 years for the sequel... And it was worth the wait!
PS- You might want to react to "Hot Shots" later- it's the comedic take on Top Gun.
I saw it in the 80's as a kid and it was one thing that helped lead me to joining the Royal Canadian Navy.
Regarding the infamous vollyball scene, that was shot after they had completed primary filming. They showed the movie to test audiences and the women didn't like it, so they added that one scene...
Top gun: Maverick is the Perfect Sequel, and has a great Homage to Goose. Like Ghostbusters: Afterlife did for Spengler/Ramis (RIP).
The Wonderful thing was, Cruise refused to go ahead with the Movie unless it had the Iceman in it! Val had trouble speaking, but they managed to write him in with an Integral Part.
One of my High School Classmates was the Daughter of a Pilot for the Air force's Thunderbirds... Pilot Malias (Call Sign "Meat").
That scene in the elevator was a reshoot, Kelly McGillis was wearing the ball Cap because her hair was Dark Brown from filming Witness.
You're going to really dig Top Gun Maverick! Remember that line about the Admiral's daughter, it'll explain some things in the sequel.
I thought that was such a clever and subtle way to connect her to the story.
Yup….Penny Benjamin was ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Goose's death was caused by two actual design flaws that existed in the F-14 Tomcat at that time. Engine flameouts like the one that happened to Maverick's plane were common with the Pratt and Whitney engine used on the F-14 at that time. The engine was very powerful and could provide a lot of forward thrust, but if air couldn't flow right into the intakes at all times, those engines would shut off. The Navy had to replace the engine with a more robust GE engine in the 90s to fix this issue. The second flaw was in how the F-14's canopy was ejected. The canopy all too often ended up floating right above an ejecting aircrewman, killing him.
The way I understood it, the canopy issue was unique to flat spins.
It was in the natops to eject the canopy first in a flat spin then I can’t remember but the Rio would shoot first in the ejection sequence
@@jimstanley_49 True. The reason being that in a flat spin, you lacked the forward airflow that was supposed to move it away from the cockpit.
You pointed out some foreshadowing for Goose I never caught...now that I see them again it so fits!! Great watch and observations. You are good at this,
Thank you so much! 😄
The details that helped her foreshadow Goose's death became a sort of cliche after this movie, as was shown in the parody of it, "Hot Shots, Part Deux."
- 24:56 - ...and the entire flock goes. "That's ba-a-a-a-d!" His Goose was cooked...
I will not spoil anything with 'Top Gun: Maverick', but I will say...remember the name, Penny Benjamin.
One of the best Tony Scott movies. Like his older brother, Ridley, Tony is a wonderful director. One of my favorite films of Tony's was the vampire film, 'The Hunger' starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon.
I was a freshman in high school when this came out, and I saw it about 6 times in the theater (including on a date). This is still in my top 20 favorite films of all time. When it came out, the Navy saw recruiting go up 500%.
If you haven't seen 'Witness', that's another great Kelly McGillis movie (with her leading man being Harrison Ford in his only Best Actor Oscar-nominated performance).
"Tony Scott was a wonderful director". He sadly committed suicide by jumping from a bridge in Los Angeles during 2012.
Had tears in my eyes when you said "his goose was cooked". From laughter. Good one.
Thank you! I was so hesitant to include that, but I can't resist a pun 😂 I'm glad most people seem to appreciate it lol
@@movienightwithjacqui it was a good one.
Jacqui, you had me at "His goose is cooked"! 😂 If you liked this one, you'll love Top Gun : Maverick. You hit the nail right on the head when you compliment the editing. They say the first cut of the movie was a disaster because you couldn't tell what was happening. This movie was litterally saved in editing. They learned from this and TG:M is just perfection, plus the story line is way richer. Can't wait to see your reaction to it. I will only say one thing: just remember the admiral's daughter name. It bugs me to no end when people don't catch that! 😉 Thank you for your reaction!
A little
Movie trivia for you, you spoke about Maverick and Charlie’s amazing chemistry but the crazy part is she actually started dating Wolfman during the shooting of the movie and the directors weren’t happy about it because they thought it could affect the chemistry between her and maverick, but clearly as you saw it did not lol
Your confusion in the opening scene would have been alleviated if you saw it like I did. I was 15 years old, in a theater with my career Navy uncle and fresh navy recruit brother. The second the pic of Wolfman's wife and kid showed on his panel, my uncle shouted "THAT'S NOT THE PLACE FOR THAT!" so the whole theater could hear it. Suddenly we all felt the panic wolfman felt, it was amazing. One of those things from childhood you never forget.
1. Note the beginning of variations on the recurring theme of many TC movies - "chasing the ghost of an absent father."
2. Chemistry is on point but what's considered "romance" is the only thing not well written in this script. I think either Siskel or Ebert said said something like, nothing that these two say to each other in this movie resembles how people in love talk in real life 😂 Also fwiw read up on all the ways they hid how much taller Kelly McGillis is than TC 😂
3. Meg Ryan's first film
Now that I think about it, this definitely isn't the first fatherless son role he's played bc there was no dad in The Outsiders but that just tells you how far back the theme goes. There is rarely if ever? a father role who he interacts with onscreen. He doesn't play a father much either.
@@tsefcik Meg Ryan had actually been in two films prior to _Top Gun;_ they were _Rich and Famous_ (1981) and _Amityville 3D_ (1983).
Can’t believe a movie buff in 2023 doesn’t know that Goose dies.
My experience with this movie? I was in NJROTC (High school Navy Junior ROTC)... and after this movie came out and we all saw it a bunch of times at the theater, we come back to school in the fall and who is our new NJROTC teacher? A U.S. Navy Commander who drives up in his red convertible, in his Khaki uniform and leather flight jacket.... an actual F-14 pilot. Commander Richmond was our frickin' hero! And the girls in the NJROTC class? It's a good thing that CDR Richmond was an upstanding and married man... 'Nuf said.
We watched that movie almost every day at lunch in the basement that was the NJROTC room(s)...
😂 I love this! When life imitates art. Thank you so much for sharing!
"His Goose is cooked...I'm a terrible person."
Yes, you are...and so am I for laughing so hard. I too love gallows humor.
"One of my favorite movies is Rush"
I think I'm in love
Haha thank you. I had a "Rush" poster right next to my "Top Gear" Stig poster in college 😂
I'm a 50 year old guy, when this movie came out i watched it at the theatre with my friends, i was 13 years old first year in high school. Oh my goodness how time flies..pun intended.
Love your reaction to this movie. Great job. Can't wait til you see Mavrick. I like the point you brought up the 1st part of the movie with what happened to the pilot and the foreshadowing for what will happen later in the movie. Never thought of it like that no matter how many times I seen this movie when it first started.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I'm really looking forward to watching Maverick! Part of me really wishes I didn't notice the foreshadowing so I couldn't experienced Goose's death the way others did, but it was such good writing! 😄
An F14 pilot who had studied photojournalism had taken a lot of iconic photographs.
Not only did he take the Photograph in the article that inspired the Movie he also turned the director around from making basically Apocalypse now on an aircraft carrier into making a popcorn movie with gorgeous jets and scenery.
He's also the pilot who fired the missiles the F14 jets fire. Those are real missiles coming off the F14.
I believe only one of those missiles were real iirc, the military gave them permission for one missile and they used some sort of movie magic to make it seem like there were several. The story goes that after the movie came out, the US Navy questioned them as to whether or not they fired more and didn’t tell them! Maybe it’s wrong but it’s a great story nonetheless.
@@kugelblitzkrieg It's clearly two missiles a Sparrow and Sidewinder. It was intended they would only fire one but they managed to get additional footage of a second missile.
I love nostalgia from this movie ❤🛩️
Let’s go watching the sequel 😎
The soundtrack to this movie is amazing.
The F-14 is one of my top 2 fighters.
I used to watch this all the time with my old man growing up.
This film is responsible for my love of military aviation and is what led me to join the Australian Navy as an Aircraft Technician.
Great reaction, loved your insights. You knew what was coming but Goose's fate still shook you 😊
It was heartbreaking! 😭 Even when you see it coming, they did such a great job with it. Thank you, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the reaction!
I was surprised. Most folks are just "Goose is so cute, with his adorable family..." Then WHAM!!
An absolute 80's Classic. Funny, heart-breaking, great action, and an amazing soundtrack (Top Gun Anthem by Harold Faltermeyer & Steve Stevens is still an all-time favourite, nearly four decades later). Great pick and great reaction (as always) Jacqui, looking forward to the sequel video now. 👍✌❤
Speaking of seeing it for the first time, my wife and I tried to watch it at the Millington Naval Air Station base theatre in 1986. The base was the Navy's aviation rate training station and the theatre was packed with students from all the schools, Aviation Machinist Mate, Aviation Electronics Mate, Air Traffic Controller, etc. Every time there was a plane or a carrier on screen they were screaming. the dogfight scenes were deafening. We didn't hear half of the movie until it came out on VHS. Love your videos.
This might be the best RUclips reaction that I’ve seen to this CLASSIC ICONIC Movie… great job 👍🏼👍🏼
When this movie came out, I was in an ROTC program in college. As a comparison, Platoon also came out in 1986. If there was a hyped scale used for movies, where "Totally Bummed" was one side of the meter, and "Psyched out of my mind" (Elf) was the opposite end...Platoon was maxed out on Bummed out, and Top Gun was maxed out on Psyched. After graduation, I became an Army attack helicopter pilot, with the callsign, "Skidder". 30-some years later, most of the folks who know me, know be by my callsign. This is the biggest drawback to callsign use, even your best friends couldn't file a missing person's report on you, because they don't know your real name. On a related note...when the war on terror started after Sep 11, I ran a team in the desert which had both US and partner nations on the team. One of the Australian's on my team was an F/A-18 pilot who was actually named Pete Mitchell, and his callsign...yep... Maverick.
The part that I always laughed at, in the final Air battle scene, when they show the "MiG-28"(Really an F-5) firing it's cannon, they show a Vulcan, the gun on the F-24, and when they show the F-14 firing, it's the single barrel cannon on an F-5
As a modeller, I watched this movie a lot of times to get the right info for building an accurate Maverick's plane, and you get some details that usually go undetected due to the high pace of the scenes. In some of the sequences, the Tomcats used are not the ones they are supposed to depict (Iceman's plane instead of Maverick's, things like that), for example.
My favoruite one is the iconic inverted flight with the MiG, the "birdie finger" and the photo. The scene is mirrored. Names onthe plane are inverted and Maverick is using his left hand as opposed to the last scene, where he uses hir right hand.
I'm so glad you talked about formula. It reminds me of recipe - when followed, you get a predictable result. When followed by an artist, you get art.
wow, you are the FIRST reactor I have seen who predicts Gooses's death ! And it still hit you hard - for all the reasons you listed in your summary. Yes, the chemistry between Charlie and Maverick is STRONG ! An instant iconic classic movie - top notch for sure ! I think you will LOVE the "Maverick" sequel - I saw it in on the big screen - awesomeness ! (I wonder if "Maverick" set the record for longest duration between original and sequel ??? hmmm, there have been LOTS of movie and sequels tho)
During the filming of this movie was delayed multiple times. One of the aerobatic stunt pilots flying a camera plane named Art Scholl (An air show veteran, and stunt legend) died in the filming.
Saw this open just after graduating from college. We all felt so powerful then.
Thanks for the great review!!!
As a aircraft maintainer (EA-6B's) when this came out, we loved the flight deck shots more than the flying. It's a beautiful, albeit dangerous, ballet of everyone involved.
I went as Maverick for Halloween as a kid at 7. The haircut, aviators, bomber jacket and all. This was the first movie that ever made me cry. I've still never fully let Goose go, I can't lie. "I think she's lost it. "I hate when she does that..." Lets see if she spots Andy before he goes to Shawshank at the end...
I'm going to change it up a little with my movie suggestion but keep it close to the same time period with one of my top 5 favorite movies. " Days of Thunder". You don't have to be a racing fan to appreciate it and i think you would enjoy it
I think a lot of people seeing these movies now miss the fact that, yes these movies are formulaic - but in a lot of cases, that's because they helped create the formulas. When we watched these as new films, it was much harder to guess things like Goose's fate. They hold up because they're well-crafted movies, but they're classics because they helped define the stereotypes and tropes used by/for the cinematic generations that followed.
So fun fact, all the planes in the movie are real, with a few miniatures in place of things the Navy wouldn't let them do. One of those things was firing missiles. The Navy authorized 2 real missile shots for the whole movie, so they filmed as many angles as they could get. But when push came to shove and they needed more missile shots, they recreated them as miniatures, and they were so realistic that the Navy had to investigate to make sure they hadn't gone over their 2 missile limit
That was scary Jacqui. The way you predicted Goose's death.
Saw this on release day when I was a 15 year-old boy back in 1986. It blew EVERYBODY's minds
"Rapier"
I wasn't military, but that was my stage name at our Renaissance Festival here in Minnesota.
My call sign, for communications, not aviation, was Prattypus. Bestowed upon me one drunken camping trip while reliving a scene from BioDome combined with my last name. I still get called Pratt, or Pratty about 3 times more often than Jason.
I'll give you a good personal experience with this movie...... when it came out in 1986, I was 4 years old and this is obviously not a 4 year old appropriate movie. My mom told my dad to bring me to like a Disney movie, but my dad, who ended up being a 42- year Army vet, wanted to see this instead, so we did. When we got home, he made me promise that I wouldn't tell my mother that we'd seen that movie so I said fine, but as soon as I walked through the door I told her how it was the most amazing movie I'd ever seen and also noted that she was giving my father the death stare for taking me to see it. I'll always remember that moment 😂😂😂
We talk about movies and editing and such, but if there is one thing to remember, it is this ... next time you hear a news story, or read a headline about a US service member being killed in a training accident, remember Goose and the wife and child he left behind.
I so love the emotional honesty in your reviews :) Always a fun experience.
As to call signs, never been in the military in real life but served through the Fourth Succession War in a fictional world. Captain "Dallas" Sukerkin, Merchant Adventurers Company, Thackstone's Battalion, Third Crucis Lancers Regimental Combat Team, Armed Forces of the Federated Suns, House Davion. Maybe one day we'll get a proper BattleTech movie when the copyright wars are over :D
Find your closest warbird flight place, many have L-39’s you can pay to fly back seat in for 40 minutes. It’s not cheap, but it’s oh so worth it. Bummer though, it doesn’t have afterburners. Note: you can’t go supersonic over US soil, even the military avoids it over populated areas due to the noise. There is one place in Louisiana, it has one of the only civilian owned F-4 Phantoms, and will take you out over the Gulf to break Mach 1. This one is even more expensive, but even more so worth it.
"Top Gun Maverick" may just be the best sequel ever made. I can't wait for you to see it.
I love it Jacqui, I am gonna watch more movies with you. You really essentiate the feels.
The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School is where the best of the best train to refine their elite flying skills. When hotshot fighter pilot Maverick (Cruise) is sent to the school, his reckless attitude and cocky demeanor put him at odds with the other pilots, especially the cool and collected Iceman (Kilmer). But he isn't only competing to be the top fighter pilot, he's also fighting for the attention of his beautiful flight instructor, Charlotte (McGillis).
I went, some 10+ years back with my wife to a drive in screening of Top Gun. In the UK these are not common. It's very much a US thing, but I'd always wanted to watch a movie at a drive in.
So we booked this one and the venue was an airfield. It was dark and you couldn't really see any planes properly but you knew they were there and it was pretty awesome. They'd broadcast to your car's radio, there was food etc (but we already brought takeaway from elsewhere). Good times. At the end of the movie when we left, Danger Zone was still playing through the radio.
The hardest part of watching older iconic films is that they've been imitated so much since that despite them creating the formula you can easily see it and that makes them feel cliché. Back in 80-something or other Goose was a sucker punch.
Very 80’s, very corny, very hopped up on testosterone. 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.
Can’t really fault that.
The late Tony Scott is Ridley Scott's brother. Tony Scott is famous for writing the US Navy a $25,000 check to get the aircraft carrier captain to change its course so he could get a shot he wanted.
The movie advanced A2A (air to air) cinematography a great deal from earlier movies. At the time, it was the closest most people would ever get to flying fighter aircraft. It was good enough that the Air Force and Navy experienced a 500% increase in recruitment after the film.
The US Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (formerly Fighter Weapons School) aka TOPGUN fines students caught quoting lines from "Top Gun" $5 each.
I was a kid in the late 70s and my Stepdad was in the Navy even though he wasn’t a pilot but my Mom and I went to commissary ( base grocery and clothing store.) at Miramar and I would watch the F-14 TomCat pilots practice there “Touch and Go’s” ( Carrier Landings). When I was younger before that I stood next to a TomCat on a Carrier (I don’t remember which one.) and said “This Sucker is Big!” The RIO ( Radar Intercept Officer) next to me laughed and said “Yes! Yes it Is!”
I'm amazed how quickly she suspected Goose was going to die in this.
The plus that the sequel has is that the actors were filmed in the cockpits of real planes in full, and everything looks very real, unlike the first one that the actors were filmed in studios with blue screens behind, and then replace the blue background with images of flights.
Brother's wedding dinner, `997, no glass clinking, but 'Sing a 'love' song.' All the ushers joined in for 'You've Lost That Loving Feeling.'
The dogfights and aerobatics are amazing, even if the script is sophomore at times. These were filmed by Art Scholl. The movie is dedicated to him, because he died filming the flat spin incident, where Goose died
15:25, the story I've heard is that Tom Cruise forgot his line and just kissed her instead. They ended up keeping that.
Sometimes improv is better than the script. 😂
This was my first video of yours (of many as I play catch-up). I started my time as a screenwriter back in the late 80s, and I love hearing comments from others also having a film/storytelling background. There's something about being immersed in it that gives it a different perspective (not better or worse, just different). With this reaction as an enjoyable introduction, I very much look forward to watching your other fare. Thanks.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this movie. I'm nuts about it, and have been since I it was first released. I've lost count of how often I've seen it--easily double-digits. Great film, great review!
Shadow. Scared the hell out of a bunch of cadets on a field exercise by jumping out on top of them.
The problem with canopy was true of the f-14. It had a tendency to not immediately release and breakaway from the aircraft.
Jacqui: It's just shot beautifully.
Me: Just wait til maverick.
One of the things I like to point out is the final scene and how it really reflects the differences between Iceman and Maverick. Iceman really is the better pilot, as he not only toes the line with his actions, but he is skilled enough to hold off five enemy fighters in a fully defensive action for minutes (realistically) until Maverick can get there, 100miles out. In a game where seconds are life and death Ice stays alive through sheer skill. Maverick is the wild card. He knows how to fly by the book, but he isn't afraid to fly to the legitimately dangerous edge of the aircraft's capability, ignoring some of the book and really pushing things to get an unexpected edge over the enemy. His main advantage is his instinct and one-ness with the plane. It sings for him. There really are pilots like that. I've always thought it was an interesting dynamic between them, one which really comes to a head in TG:Maverick.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is one of the most beautiful fighter aircraft to grace the skies. With its wings spread at low speed it is stable and maneuverable. At high speed and wings swept it is like an arrowhead screaming through the sky. Either way the pictures and film of it really show what an American "Muscle Jet" could be.
The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is, at least for me, the most iconic fighter jet EVER. It was the only fighter jet that could carry the AIM-120 "Phoenix" missile, designed for extremely long range engagement of Soviet bombers, had that ever been necessary. It was the "Defender of the Fleet", and carrier battle groups could rest easy, knowing the 'Cats were on the prowl.
Additionally, it just looks bad@$$. It's got a swagger, even when it's parked. The swing-wings not only make it look more awesome, but they also allowed for better low-speed handling and maneuverability (extended), or screaming through Mach 2 at full afterburner (swept back). It's also a movie/tv star, as seen in this movie, and a few others, I believe.
I'd love to see the 'Cat come back.
Great reaction to such a great movie.
I loved what Kilmer did with Ice. From what I've heard, he wasn't given much of anything about Ice other than lines and some basic behavioral notes. I loved that he portrayed Ice as this super-confident pilot, but who when not flying really was awkward when it came to dealing with other people on an interpersonal level, like when we watched him struggle with how to speak to Mav about Goose's death. He gave Ice, who could have been an almost two-dimensional character as a throwaway rival role, some real depth and actual humanity. Weaknesses and the struggle to overcome them in characters are what make them real. Iceman became real.
Tom Skerrit and Michael Ironside turned in great performances as Viper and Jester too. They were secondary characters and almost could have been throwaway characters with the exception of Viper's chat with Mav about his dad. But both Ironside's stoic and almost emotionless portrayal of Jester and Skerrit's portrayal of Viper gave personality to the characters as much as the script did.
A side note that I learned from a high school buddy whose dad was a Naval aviator: Naval aviators generally were given their callsigns by the rest of their unit or by command officers, usually based on something about their personality or flying style. The prettyboy was Hollywood. The womanizing RIO was Wolfman. The technically perfect pilot who always tended to be at his best no matter what was Iceman. The one RIO who tended to mother hen his pilot was named after another famous mother, Goose. And the wild one who never seemed to care for and about the rules was obviously a Maverick. Jester of course got his name for his lighthearted nature, or lack of same obviously. 😀
Anthony Edwards was excellent as Goose. The one person who had the best chance of getting Maverick to stay close to the boundaries that he'd normally avoid and eschew, and the one who Maverick never wanted to let down. And he had a wife and son so of COURSE he was doomed to die. Hated that! 😞
And the script was, of course, so well done. So much effort was made to give so many characters actual character and personality. A lot of writers focus on the lead and the rival/foil/enemy and don't care much about anyone else. But in this efforts were made to give humanity and reality to even short term characters like Clarence Gilyard's Sundown (the replacement RIO for Goose while at Top Gun) and Tim Robbins' Merlin (Cougar's RIO at the beginning and Mav's RIO at the end). So well done!
Most call signs are awarded based on something funny or embarrassing. One RUclipsr & writer Ward Carroll is a former F-14 RIO (Goose). His call sign was Mooch, as he was constantly borrowing little stuff. There really was an Iceman, but he was a medical officer with cold hands
You get your call sign in flight school. Rarely do you ever choose your own. Your peers select your call-sign not really dependent on anything. Could be your personality, weaknesses, strengths. Usually a way to pick fun at you while being cool at the same time.
Regarding call signs; you do not get to pick your own. Your classmates in flight school pick it for you and they do not hold back on the jokes, embarrassment, or even cruelty when they assign it to you. I heard one story of a pilot whose last name was Tromboni; her callsign was "Rusty."
Late to the party, but only finding all these reaction channels recently 😮 Re: callsign aka c/s = was a Cold War Vet in the Canadian Armoured Corps, served with 2 regiments etc etc. We sometimes had a goofy nickname, but our callsigns was the vehicle designation i.e. 42F (pronounce 4..2.. Foxtrot) = Recce Squadron (recon for yall in the South), 2nd Troop, 7th vehicle of the Troop, with our c/s from 42 (the Troop Leader), then 42A etc etc to 42 F and such. My last c/s was 33C = C Sqn, 3rd Troop, 4th vehicle of 4 😉👍
Of course, even though we're Tankers, we watch all the military movies, along with others, in our spare time 😉
After Top Gun came out, during one of our Gun Camps (target practice etc)... one of our guys re-enacted the Cougar opening scene where he drops his wings on the desk and says, "He's lost the edge...". So buddy goes up to his Lt. (we say lef-tenant, like the Brits), and drops the Laser Safety key (it's for the range finder on the tank) on the table in front of the Lt... and says the iconic line, "Sir... I lost the edge", and walks off. 😮🙃😜 Apparently, the Lt didn't get the joke... FYI - the Top Gun OST was played by many of us over the intercom on our tanks, and I heard some of the guys would play it during a "battle run" i.e. when we drive down the range, shooting at targets etc etc 👍
Jacqui, I can’t wait for you to see the sequel Top Gun; Maverick, fun fact ably the sequel The Director and cruise worked with the Navy to build Cameras into actual fighter jets cockpits to capture the actors, also Tom cruise made every Actor who played pilots learn to fly Jets for real (and to operate the camera in the cockpit) it was a requirement,
"What would your callsign be?" Don't know and can't know b/c the only rule about callsigns is you can't pick your own. It must be given to you by the other pilots, and they usually give you a callsign based on some screw-up you did or humiliating personal characteristic. It's not mean. It's a way of reminding everyone with huge egos that they are, in fact, still human
Tony Scott directed a number of iconic movies. Man on Fire is highly recommended.
You'll get way more views on movies than TV series (all ages love movies, niche groups like a particular TV show). Your last two movie reviews have 5x more viewers than your others. Keep it up and make your channel explode. Good job.
Remember the name Penny Benjamin.
It's a great thing you think redder is better cause you're going to hell for that Goose joke :D
Love your reactions so far on things and your analytical take on script, filming etc from your education but I was worried when you saw the accident coming that it wouldn't hit you hard but it was great to see it still affected you. I saw this in 86 while I was in high school and was planning on being a fighter pilot (ended up being too tall for it at the time) and none of us saw the Goose death coming but to this day I still get chills and upset when it happens no matter how many times I watch this.
I'm sure there are plenty of reasons I'm going to hell, so just add it to the pile 😂
Part of me really wishes I didn't see it coming, but the foreshadowing and the writing were just so good! It's heartbreaking, even when you know it's coming, and I can only imagine how devastating it was the first time watching.
Thank you for watching!
'Why do I feel like fighter jets and motor cycles go hand in hand?' - I always feel that scene is Tony Scott's nod to a similar scene in the British film 'Reach for the Sky' (1956) about the inspirational story of RAF 'Battle of Britain' fighter pilot Douglas Bader, as played by Kenneth More. If you don't know his story, I won't spoil it. When I was growing up, the BBC broadcast it very regularly. Of course 1930's RAF officers played cricket, not volleyball.
As soon as I saw James Tolkan appear on the ship to give Maverick and Goose their orders to go to Top Gun, I yelled out "Slackers!!" :) (Back To The Future reference)