DC's Peacemaker tomorrow! Finished Love Death & Robots S3 & Peacemaker on the patreon! Click here for early access: www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Have a great day everyone!
SO, fun fact the Cockpit scenes were all filmed in Simulators and the JET scenes are mostly Real Aircraft with Real pilots. some minitures were used for Stunts.
Screw Battlefield 3 fighter jets! If you have the need for speed after watching the Top Gun movies, I highly recommend playing Ace Combat 7! Basically Top Gun: The Game but more sci-fi and a whole bunch more anime plot and characters, which I think you won't mind :D
Some info for the accident that killed Goose. After flying through the engine wash from Iceman's jet, Maverick/Gooses F14 has the engines flame out, and they don't go simultaneously so the aircraft starts to spin. This accident was based off a real training accident with the F14, where if a crew has to eject during a flat spin, the canopy doesn't clear because they aren't moving forward, which is why Goose slammed into the canopy during the ejection.
Thank you for explaining it. I always wondered exactly what and why. That’s is just so logical and makes absolute sense. Good job explaining it to a dummy. 🤪 👍🏻
After some thought, it came to me. You should write a Jets for Dummies book explaining things like this, it’s fun knowledge when you can understand it.
Yeah. From what I remember, the early F-14's engines was susceptible to that kind of flame out. So much so that they were replaced by engines from F-111s. But the pilots had to be retrained on later F-14 models, and unlearn what they learned about the early F-14s operations.
I enlisted in 1992. Pretty much because of this movie and also because my family was Navy. At the recruiter, I had the option to go cryptology after ASVAB testing. The wait for schools would have been years. Instead, I opted to go in immediately and had Yeoman or Airman options for school. I asked what a Yeoman was - the recruiter said it was clerical work. I asked about Airman, the recruiter said, "have you ever seen Top Gun?" Three months later, I was on the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk, underway for a WestPac. I worked around all of the jets featured in this movie and some of the ones featured in Maverick. I went to boot camp in San Diego, where a lot of this film was made. I was stationed on North Island, wheer Maverick is stationed in the second movie. Good times. I just wish I didn't have the constant ear ringing and hearing loss.
@Gerald H, I got offered lots of options, but school was so far out on all of them. I didn't want to wait years and start second guessing myself. I opted for the quickest way in so I would be on my way to a career. San Diego was a lot of fun. The only downside was that it was relatively close to the amphib base on Coronado. Which, in the 90s, meant that if you messed up you got some extra PT with Navy Seals. I never got punished but I had friends come back bawling their eyes out. Is your online buddy a grumpy old senior chief? Those were my favorite. My chief was a crotchety guy that could spot some work that you needed to finish a mile away. He could see a spot of missing paint on a bulkhead with pinpoint clarity. He could find dirt on angle iron that nobody else could see. I swear he had a sixth sense for busy work.
Thank you for your service.... I just wanted to mention that a couple of my uncles, back in the late 70's, early 80's, proudly served onboard the Battle Cat. She was truly something special.
Tuskegee Airmen is an old HBO movie with Lawrence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding Jr. that's about the first black fighter pilots in WW2. Really good one imo
Something I learned about Goose's death from the special features - in a flat spin the pilot of an F-14 is too far forward of the center of gravity and gets pinned. This leaves ejecting up to the RIO (Goose). In normal flight the canopy separated from the fuselage of the plane fairly quickly but in a flat spin it lingered so the RIO had to wait for the canopy to clear before ejecting the seats but Goose panicked and that's why he impacted the canopy. You even hear Maverick remind Goose "Watch the canopy" before Goose pulls the handles.
Ejection timings are automatic. There's a canopy jettison that doesn't trigger the seats, but that is mostly for escape purposes and not ejection. Goose did everything right.
Yeah they lost an F-14 in a simelar accident before that. BUT the Ejection timing is automatic and there is no way to "watch the canopy" in that situation. There are ways that you can die in a ejection, but thats not one of the ones I got taugh about because it is very far out there, but I also didn't fly the Tomcat, so who knows. Still tho, never heared of anyone hitting he canopy on their way out (F-35 taken out of that of course)
@@ptprojektred In the special features it was the real life Viper who was the script consultant who said it. It wouldn't surprise me if the F-14 was just developed at this weird time where a bunch of things common in later aircraft just didn't quite make it in.
When you watch this the first time, Val Kilmer comes off as the asshole. But watch it a few times and you realize he's doing and saying the right thing every single time.
9:52 The 'old guy' that Charlie is with at the bar is Rear Admiral Pete Pettigrew, the REAL 'Viper' and technical advisor for the movie. In the Vietnam War, he and his wingman came under attack from 4 MiGs whilst low on fuel. 90 SECONDS later, two MiG's were down, Pete bagging one and the remaining two saw enough, broke contact and ran..
I was obsessed with Top Gun as a kid. When I was showing my horses, I actually called my grey gelding Iceman, not only for the obvious connotation, but because he was stone cold and never turned out of a jump. You could let go of the reins, turn him towards a fence, and he'd do the rest. He was just one of those perfect matches you get once in your career if you're lucky. Needless to say, the name suited him well, at least in that regard. His barn name was Cisco, after Dances With Wolves. (my mom named him that, I named him Iceman). It's kind of confusing, but normal in the horse world. But both names fit him well. Even as a kid, I was obsessed with movies lol.
And when it comes to filming war movies, not many got it better at an emotional or personal level that the Scott brothers did. I don't know if you've reacted to G.I. Jane yet, but Ridley directed that along with BlackHawk Down, and those were deeply personal while being action packed. That's what drew me to these directors. Their ability to peel back the layers, but make it interesting and relatable.
I grew up going to air shows every year so this was required viewing in my family. My dad used it to test out his new speaker system when I was a kid. Great pick!
@@pranavnnair5 My only major complaint about Maverick is that I wanted the movie to be more Top Gun and less Iron Eagle. And if that's the only major issue I have, then then I can't see a reason to raise a fuss.
James, now you absolutely have to react to the hilarious parody of this film, Hot Shots! It's very much in keeping with Airplane and even co-stars Lloyd Bridges, at his comedic best.
The filming of the flat spin that killed Goose actually cost a person his life. The movie is dedicated to the memory of Art Scholl, a top notch aerobatic pilot and airshow performer, who died filming the cockpit segments in an actual flat spin. The high-performance biplane he was flying did not recover from the spin as it was supposed to, and he rode it into the ground.
This was my first Tom Cruise movie, ever! Even as an adult I grin like an idiot every time and wish I was as awesome as Maverick, even though I totally understand that in the real world Mav would break so many military laws they'd just haul him in front of the firing line and get it over with! LOL
This was the first Tom Cruise movie I saw on VHS when in was 4-5 years old. This is also my dad's favorite movie. The film was a box office and critical success making $360 million dollars ($798 million dollars today) at the box office against a $15 million dollar budget.
@@spddracer, I broke my Betamax tape probably by playing scenes in slow motion over and over. We had a Beta VCR and even in 1987 they were rare and it was especially hard to find a store that rented and sold their tapes.
Something hilarious that most people miss is when Maverick talks about "going below the hard deck for a few seconds" it actually means he crashed into the ground. The hard deck being the term for a set limit below which one cannot travel in an exercise. I believe they set a hard deck because different places in the world have different elevations.
The hard deck is the hard deck, not the ground. It’s the simulated ground. If they were actually talking about the ground they would call it…..the ground.
I helped rescue a dude a Top Gun pilot who had a rock climbing accident. He was pretty impressive in how he bore up under the injuries he had to deal with until we got him to the road. Foot facing the wrong way, shattered patella, flayed back. Bad ass dude, his climbing partners not so much.
Went to see Top Gun Maverick with my mum who saw Top Gun in theatre as a teenager. It's her favourite movie. She CRIED during Maverick she was so thrilled it was a great film.
A little trivia: Tom Skerrit (the actor who plays Commander Viper) was actually in the United States Air Force as a young man. During his acting career he excelled at playing stoic, authoritative characters, no doubt helped by his calm presence and that distinctive moustache. Another great performance of his is Dallas, the brave captain of the Nostromo in the classic Alien (1979).
You can be my filmmaker anytime. Also, it's interesting how the Top Gun movies avoid naming the enemies they are fighting against. There are about three candidates for what country could the enemy be from, but nothing is confirmed. The intentionality of keeping the villain an amorphous combination of three countries is almost ingeniously done by combining impossible geography, mismatched markings, and fictional aircraft.
@@helvete_ingres4717 It's a fictional model of Migs, with a more Chinese symbolism on them, and a dash of NK added in (original screenplay had NK as the enemy, but things were just cooling down with them, so they changed it). And it taking place in the Indian ocean, also makes it confusing, as NK and China didn't have a presence in that area.
@@transformersrevenge9 fair enough, idk what power with a navy on the indian ocean would have had migs; I guess no such nation existed. I always understood it as they were just playing very coy and playing it safe by never saying Russia, or Soviets, but its American Cold War-era audience was basically supposed to understand it that way
@@helvete_ingres4717 Yeah, it can be assumed who they are fighting, but I guess they didn't want to piss anyone off. Spoilers for Top Gun 2. And the new movie did the same. Best case guess is that it's Iran they are dealing with, but again, the tech, the context and the location don't exactly add up.
Tony Scott (RIP) had a very particular aesthetic across his work. Look for contrasting color motifs (in TG it's blue and yellow/orange), moody soundtracks, and intense performances. For more of his 80's work - The Hunger and Beverly Hills Cop 2
I wonder how his Tony Scott's Top Gun sequel would have looked, considering how his style changed with the movies he did in the late '90s and the 2000s. Would it have looked more like "Deja Vu" and "Man on Fire" or would he have tried to match the first movie in a way?
As a Navy brat growing up in the 80s this movie might’ve been the biggest thing that happened to me as a kid. I remember my dad took me to the theater on base to see it and he covered my eyes during the sex. I love how Viper gives Maverick the tools he needs to overcome his demons. Telling him that his father was a hero and offering to be his Rio - he’s saying “I trust you with my life”
I found it interesting that Mad Maxx best friend was nicknamed goose, and Maverick had a friend Goose. Both died horribly. It's interesting that both Gosses have the same optimistic attitudes and enjoy life, like a mother Goose. I get that feeling when Goose was straightening Maverick's collar before talking to Charlie in the hallway It's done for comedic effect but also to show a familial relationship, and Goose wants Mavrick to be happy.
What I really love is that when this movie first came out on VHS everyone that worked on the air base that my father-in-law worked was given a copy. My husband wore their copy out within about a month he watched it so much. My father-in-law use to work on the jets and even played a small part in designing some.
I hope you see the sequel soon. The thing I loved about it is that it really picks up Maverick's character (and a couple of others) in a way that makes a lot of logical sense. They don't try to reinvent anything, but instead you can interpret how the characters have continued to grow from one film to the next. It's really good.
After seeing Top Gun Maverick its crazy to go back to watch this seeing how young they look. Val Kilmer is great and his brief role in Maverick made me cry he did amazing
Top Gun Maverick is something to behold when you know the actors were taught to fly the jets, and when you see Tom doing his thing as probably the best action hero in history (after this at least) you will cream your pants.
Dang, I love how you were getting so much out of this movie, dissecting the filmmaking and all. Most people just shrug this movie off as being a more shallow movie. It may not be the deepest story, but this is one of my favorites. I've seen it many times at this point. It's just such a charming, cool movie from the 80s.
1. An old shipmate of mine was on the Enterprise when they filmed this. 2. Gooses death was not Maverick's fault. Iceman was bogarting his LOS approach and they got caught in the jet wash. 3. I spent 24 years in the US Navy. 6 on "bird farms" (Carriers). I have seen 1000+ launches and landings without a single crash. These men and the men working the flat tops are doing the most dangerous job in the world (for the good guys). Props to all of them. 4. Kelly McGillis/Charlie was in a great movie with Harrison Ford "Witness" that's seriously worth a first time/share HINT HINT 5. Tom Skerritt/Viper not only played Dallas in "Alien" he also played Strawberry in "Up in Smoke" with Cheech and Chong. 6. Val Kilmer/Iceman has a long list of movies including but not limited to: "Willow", "The Doors" and "Tombstone" 7. It's not likely that an E-6 is delivering coffee to the Air Boss that spilled his coffee. 8. The Squadron Leader would not be smoking a cigar in the AirOps space. 9. Meg Ryan is my honey. A great overlooked movie with her is with Tom Hanks called, "Joe vs the Volcano' She plays 3 parts. HINT HINT 10. Onboard the ship all the perspiration is Hollywood(not the pilot). There is AC onboard. 11. The TOP GUN school is no longer located at Miramar near San Diego. It's now at NAS Fallon, NV. 12. You ABSOLUTELY need to do the new one. First of all, the ariel work in the next one makes this one look like they're practicing. Best of all the new one has a plot.👌
It is said that the cockpit of a fighter is the most difficult office job. You need to be able to continuously evaluate the tactical situation while taking in information from almost innumerable sensors while flying a plane and putting a lot of stress on your body. They also say that their heart rates can be higher when landing on a carrier than in actual combat.
This was made with the permission and assistance of the United States Navy. The flying sequences were achieved with a combination of miniatures, stunt pilots and rear projection. The Navy's fighter weapon school has since been relocated to Nevada, while Miramar, California is a Marine Corps Air Station. The F-14 Tomcat has since been replaced by the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor and variants of the F-35. The Navy took full advantage of the popularity of this film and placed recruiting booths outside movie theaters. Their recruiting numbers skyrocketed
For some context, landing a plane like an F-14 on a aircraft carrier is landing a roughly 40,000lbs, 38 million dollar (in 80s money) machine loaded with bombs, missiles, gun rounds, and fuel, while travelling at about 160mph, and getting it to stop in under 500 feet, while several dozen to 100+ people stand and work merely a few feet away from where you touch down. And there is NO alternate airport to go to. Generally speaking, it’s considered the most difficult thing to do in all of aviation, military or civilian. Some back story about the F-14. At the time, it was the most complex, ambitious, and expensive fighter plane ever built. Due to the scope and scale of the project, the plane was set to be rolled out in phases. The original F-14As were fitted with an older engine that was already in use on other aircraft. However, these engines were not designed specifically for use on fighter jets. As such, they had difficulties operating in some of the conditions that fighter jets could put them. The original F-14As were prone to what’s called a Compressor Stall. Later versions of the plane had new engines specifically designed for use on the F-14 fitted. The US Navy retired the last of their F-14Ds in 2009. Ironically, Iran is the last country still flying F-14s, though their operational status is questionable. The story of how Iran ended up with F-14s is quite the story in itself, as are some of the stories of American sabotage of the planes. Because the two engines on an F-14 are set far apart, when one of them goes out, it causes a rotational momentum to develop, as the thrust is off-center. The pilot has an extremely small window to correct the situation before it gets out of control. A flat spin can, and did, interfere with the aerodynamics over the canopy during an ejection sequence. At least one F-14 RIO (the one who sits in the back seat) was killed during a failed ejection sequence as a result of a flat spin, during a training exercise. One note though, the way the flat spin is depicted in the movie is not what a real flat spin is. The depiction in the movie is physically impossible, but visually more dramatic. The sad reality is that pilots are killed on an annual basis in training exercises. It’s a very dangerous job. Scenes like the one with Meg Ryan play out across the military aviation community far more often than most people realize. A bunch of the scenes of flying at low level through desert canyons was filmed at the China Lake Weapons Testing Facility near Death Valley California. The most famous and well known canyon that pilots use for training is called Rainbow Canyon, aka “Star Wars Canyon”. The canyon earned the Star Wars name after some of the Pod Racing scenes from Star Wars: Episode 1 were filmed there. There’s a lookout point overlooking the canyon that you can visit, and watch the jets fly through the canyon below you. You can even tune in on their radio frequency and listen to the pilots. The canyon is part of a low level flight route through Southern California, and happens to be a short cut between Point C and Point J on the route. As such, when the pilots fly this route, the call they make on the radio is something like “Felix 6-2, two-ship F-18, east bound, Jedi Transition through Star Wars Canyon, 500 knots 500 feet”
Not full on fuel, but with enough fuel for multiple attempts. They definitely land with a full weapons load though. With the cost of AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, landing with a full Phoenix load was part of the original design criteria. Can’t afford to dump those puppies in the ocean.
German Airforce Pilot here. I never went to Topgun since its a US Navy thing (went to Green Flag West tho before the Rona), but still everyone I knew and worked with knew this movie by heart and still qoutes it. For many people it was even part of why they wanted to join. There are a lot of things that are a little of about this movie, the most favous one being them saying "Fireing" instead of "Fox X" to clarefie the type of missle being used (the coms are just bad in generel), the MIGs being played by F-5s, some bad bubble violations, close formations flying which no one like in the real world, no one wearing their masks, no existant Jinking and wiered BFM, the list goes on and I am sure enough people allready complained about this fantasy movie. You just have to understand that this is real Jets but the story and everything surrunding it is basically Star Wars. BUUUT it is so hard to dislike this movie or really nitpick it. I would say its close to imposible to have a bad time with it really one of the greats. Same goes for the new one. Great movie, a little better in terms or realisem but still Fantasy.
@@gregall2178 Also that depending on the scene. There are some shoots where it looks like the shoot real missles, but in most cases at that close distance the missel wouldn't arm or just go dumb.
Viper mentioned the 'hard deck' was 10,000'... That's usually AGL (above ground level). Hard deck being the ground itself wouldn't make much sense ;-) This was a first date movie for me when I was 23. Being a little bit of an aviation buff them saying the hard deck was 10k' and then they're flying between rock formations trigged my pedantic nerve 😀 ...that and the fact the flat spin takes place over the ocean... from the 'hop' area (over an arid, desert-like area) to the ocean would mean they would be flying over civilian areas. Doubt they would do that while dogfighting.
So we used to talk about the Top Gun Theory of Tom Cruise Movies. It was that all Tom Cruise movies followed the format of Tom being the best but having to prove himself, bad thing happens (most likely loses love/friend/family), Tom proves himself as Top whatever. Worked for: Color of Money: Top Pool Player Cocktail: Top Bartender Days of Thunder: Top NASCAR Driver (almost literally a remake of Top Gun) A Few Good Men & The Firm: Top Lawyer 1 & 2 Mission Impossible: Top Spy. Far and Away: Top Irish Potato Farmer Risky Business: Top Pimp. Worked for a lot of 80’s and 90’s Tom Cruise Movies.
Yo yo yo - this film was one of the cornerstone films of my childhood. Great memories of this film. Love the videos, James. Stay real - peace and love bro 🫶🏼
Goin' below the 'hard deck' is hillarious once you realise the 'hard deck' represents the ground in training. Mav seeing the opponent go below the hard deck and following him to shoot means "I saw him crash into the ground so i also crashed into the ground to shoot at an airplane...that crashed into the ground." It makes NO sense XD
Yes, the footage was specifically choreographed and shot for the movie by advisors and pilots. The RUclipsr pilot C.W. LeMoine just put up an interview with one of those Navy pilots who worked on the filming. In a few shots, the camera mounts on the planes are visible. To most people, they just look like anything else mounted to the plane. "Top Gun" was a huge deal for some of us at that time but the F-14 was a very prominent and popular fighter plane. Just before the movie came out, the kind of carrier operations that book-end the movie were in the headlines with actions involving Libya. It was the main aircraft in the G.I.Joe toy line, seen in the daily cartoon series at the time the movie came out (back when kids played with toys and watched cartoons after school). Nothing else looked like this either, and it was often praised (and panned) for what was seen as a music video style of filmmaking.
11:15 Don't forget when this movie was made - no such thing as CGI in 1986, certainly not anything that could ever be mistaken for real. See "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", specifically the "Genesis" video within that movie, for the state of the art of computer graphics around this time. Some of this was done with miniatures, but mostly it's real footage of real aircraft.
The scene where Maverick throws Goose's dogtags into the water was filmed on the USS Carl Vinson, the first ship I was stationed on and my ride to see the world.
Love the opening comments about film ratings/ reviews, I'm a big believer of if I want to watch a film I will regardless of critics due to the fact of some of my favourite films are critical failures. After all a critic is just a person with an opinion just like the rest of us. 👍
Anthony Edwards 'Goose' is a great actor. The movie that threw him on the map is a great comedy from '83 called 'Revenge of the Nerds.' and he was also absolutely stunning in a tv show called 'E.R.'
Such an movie often written off as macho boy-gasm but like you say, well written with so many layers to the characters, and just cool inventive cinematography. The cockpit shots had the practical effect of the shakiness. They were done on set but instead of the camera-people shaking the camera manually they attached a drill with an off-centre counter-weight to the camera and the oscillation provided the consistent shake. The "take my breath away" theme coming in when Mav is heading to the date and his character showing a vulnerable quality is one of my favourite parks of the film. If you made it this far James, I would love to see your reaction to more 80s Cruise. One called 'The Color of Money' with Paul Newman. This was a gem of a movie that really surprised me with it's gritty 80s dive bar qualities and well written characters
"Top Gun" was a one hour and 50 minute-long recruitment propaganda piece. I was working as an usher at the Leow's Movie Theater in Levittown, NY, which was closest to Grumman, makers of military jets, spacecraft, and... buses? Anyway, our multiplex had a very special preview of this movie for some top military brass. Our biggest theater was roped off and EVERYONE, including staff, was forbidden to enter. It was that big of a deal. It's also a bit of trivia isn't mentioned on IMDb. 😉 10:35 - This movie was known mostly for its soundtrack. At this moment, they're playing an instrumental of what I think is the best song in the entire movie. "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick. 11:12 - There was no CGI in this movie as you'd know it today. For the first use of real CGI - computer generated imagery - check out "The Last Starfighter" (1984). Trust me. They weren't that much further ahead from that point in 1986. 16:08 - It would have been against the rules if she'd been an officer, which is why the writers made her a civilian contractor. On a final note, pilots are fine $5.00 for every line from this movie that they say on Top Gun grounds.
No, the scene at the start of the film is not a tutorial. Both Maverick and Goose have already graduated from flight school and are an active duty Navy aviator and RIO in the US Navy assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Top Gun is meant as a dogfighting training school for fighter pilots who are already active duty pilots who are in the top 10% level of pilots in the Navy.
The US Military did a bunch of unbelievable things to help the production of this film including turning an aircraft carrier around for a better shot and actually firing a VERY expensive missile. They were only allowed to fire one missile so they covered it from every angle imaginable. The editing is so effective (and convincing) after the film was released the Navy opened an investigation into EXACTLY how many missiles had been fired. Yes, It was just one.
Val's been my favorite actor since I saw TOP SECRET! in the theater as a kid. I recently rewatched this and it seemed completely different. Even I used to think Iceman was the villain. He was just right.
Apparently, a real missile was approved by the Navy to be fired for this movie and Tony Scott had it filmed from multiple angles, so that he could used it for every time that a missile is fired in movie.
Top Gun: Maverick is no joke a really great action film. I was thinking about it for a couple of days after I saw it. The real problem is how much I was thinking about it after I left the theater and thought that I should try to drive my Jeep like some kind of fighter jet back to my house. No one was harmed, and while I can't say that any laws were infrracted, nobody recorded alleged infractions via police radar or speed cams.
I went to see the new movie in cinema and it was awesome! The fact that the actors were piloting real F-18 for real change everything. I like it more than the first one. Hope you will like it.
@@vincentjoyce5100 For the first movie it's true, but I have seen behinds the scenes that showed tom cruise pilotng the jet, you can even see the speed deforming their face as they are turning and changing speed. With the exeption of the first jet in the movie. Ofcurse they had stunt actors to make the hardest shots bit as I heasd and saw every scene showing them in the jets were real flith. And also I head that each actors took several monts of training for that. (Don't remember how many.) If I missed something feel freeto point me out.
Originally, the rock band Toto was supposed to perform the song 'Danger Zone,' but turned it down. Kenny Loggins had already contributed one song to the Top Gun soundtrack, 'Playing With The Boys,' and was asked by the producers if he'd perform 'Danger Zone.' All Loggins asked was, "Is it an up-tempo rock song?" They assured him that it was, and he agreed to record the song, as he felt he needed something more than just ballads to perform when he was on tour.
Theres a great 2 and a half hour behind the scenes/making of of this film. It's on RUclips as well. It's interesting with the actual military stuff. Tony Scott originally told the pilots to run the kind of maneuvers they would at real Top Gun. When he got the footage back, it was some rather boring flying. He told them he couldnt use it and what could they do to make it more exciting. So that's where you get the pilots doing all the crazy shit you see in the movie. That's all stuff they'd never do in training or actual maneuvers, but at least it plays on a big screen. The other big change is that actual Top Gun doesn't have a trophy. Their military expert - who used to be an instructor at TG - said it was fine for the film. It gives something for the characters to strive to attain. He said if they did have a Top Gun trophy, the pilots would probably kill themselves and/or each other trying to win it, their level of competitiveness is so high.
This was my favorite movie when I was a kid. I wanted to be a pilot (joined the Air Force later in life, not a pilot but a aircraft mechanic lol). I also loved this movie for having swearing for a PG movie lol
James, if you get the chance, definitely see Top Gun Maverick while it's still in the theater - heck, see it in IMAX if you can. It's amazing filmmaking, probably better than the first one, and you won't regret making the trip to the theater for it.
I'd imagine many people who comment on this reaction are HUGE fans of this movie. I'm one of them. And I'm going to add this: the new movie currently out? Top Gun: Maverick? It's legitimately better. Cinematographically, you will be 1,000% blown away.
I don't really have much to add to what has been said either by you James or other people here in the thread but some short things. First, I love your reactions as always. Second, now that you've seen Top Gun you need to watch the spoof of this movie which is Hot Shots. (and when you finish Rambo, Hot Shots Part Deux). Also finally, I think Tom Skerritt (Viper) needs a shout out. This guy is so smooth in pretty much everything he has made, this, Alien, Steel Magnolias, an overall cool guy.
The Legal Eagle broke this film down with a JAG lawyer and there's a crap ton of laws Maverick broke in this film including some violations that may have given him the death penalty in the right circumstance 😂
Iceman was the better pilot the more and more I watch 🤷🏽♂️ Man held off 5 enemy jets while Mav needed to listen to Goose. But Mav does have a great support system from his classmates and instructors! (Val Kilmer in Real Genius is highly recommended!!)
Absolutely agree! Maverick was the more naturally gifted but Iceman was the best pilot overall, also despite being put there as the antagonist to Maverick he was never the stereotypical villain and everything he said to Mav was the absolute and much needed truth that Maverick needed to hear but didn't want to; Iceman understood that at the end of the day despite the Top Gun prize they were always on the same team (even in training, they were never pitted against each other but always as wingmen against the instructors) and that yes unpredictability and instinct were useful against the enemy but safety towards your wingmen was more important. To Maverick's credit he is shown to actually be learning that afte each training mission but it always took Goose's words and eventually death (even if it wasn't anyone's fault) to finally understand it completely and thus fulfilling his potential as a pilot. In the end it makes sense, Mav was the second best at the beginning after Cougar, and there were reasons for that, it took the whole movie for him to learn all the stuff that Iceman was already excelling at by the time we saw him on screen. Also last but not least, Maverick & Goose understood each other and the first listened to the latter, but only afterward each encounter, Goose was amazing and the wisest of the two but Mav always ended up doing what he wanted and Goose knew he couldn't do much to stop him, on the other hands even with as little as we saw them, Iceman and Slider were a perfect team and always communicating and listening (even in the volleyball game, which they won because of that) to each other as a pilot and a RIO should do.
@@nocturneJOJO great observations! Goose’s death even brought Ice and Mav closer together. I notice Goose has a great degree of appreciation for Iceman from their interaction at the bar (I like how Goose literally tells Mav that Iceman is The Best! Lol)
Thanks for this. Tony Scott is such a solid director, his catalogue is packed with gems, this included. Great stuff as always, your love and joy is infectious. Hope you are well, As always, stay awesome, stay genuine.. much love
The Right Stuff has no protagonist. Maybe Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepherd). The amazing shit he actually did in real life is used as a framing device throughout. X-15. Breaking the sound barrier. We see POV of Yeager, John Glenn (Ed Harris), and the very end for Gordo Cooper (Dennis Quaid) who is basically a minor character. All three, from the pilots POV. I think, maybe, the Narrator is the protagonist. Levon Helm, from the band called The Band, oddly enough. A voice of butter, maple syrup, and rocksalt. Helm also had a minor role as Ridley. "Hey, Ridley. Gotta a stick of Beemans?" I am not a super-patriotic sort day to day, but that movie makes me god damn proud to be an American. We put a man on moon in 1969 and these people helped get us there. The score is fucking gorgeous. The cinematography and editing is shockingly good. For a movie from 1984 it looks great today, way better than Top Gun. It is a stunningly great movie.
For earlier air combat featuring great film work, also depicting the tensions that pilots & the public were going through, consider reacting to the 1969 film (Battle of Britain). The earliest turning point during that conflict which instilled hope in the free world.
At a basic level, I do appreciate any movie that takes the time to film with the actual military. Propaganda yes, but it sure is awesome. Also another favorite of mine is The Final Countdown from 1980 with Kirk Douglas, where a modern aircraft carrier goes back in time to WW2. Not a great movie by any means, but fun with great planes and flying caught on camera. Also side note, if you are ever in Corpus Christi Texas, you can visit the old USS Lexigington aircraft carrier there, and it has one of the planes from the original Top Gun up on the deck. Also in the original movie, they tried and wanted to get some in-cockpit footage of the actors in the planes reacting, but the footage was not good so it never got used. In the new movie, they invented new Imax cameras to mount in the F18, so the actors did get to fly and get reactions.
If Val kilmer is one of your favs you should definitely watch 'Val'. Regardless of reaction. Its a documentary from footage he has taken through his career and some other bits. Narrated by his son. Outstanding
The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School(Top Gun), established on March 3rd, 1969, is no longer located at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. In 1996, the school was merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.
You should check out Wings (1927). It’s a silent film, the first best picture winner (well, what was essentially the best picture Oscar), and it’s about fighter pilots in WWI. It’s incredible, emotional, and the dogfights are amazing. There’s some really wonderful, innovative camerawork in the film too!
Wings is absolutely incredible. I wish more people would go that far back in cinematic history because their pure gold that has been almost buried like a lost treasure waiting to be discovered again.
@@jessecortez9449 I completely agree! Filmmakers by necessity had to be really daring back then, too, so there’s some really special films to be discovered if you’re willing to dig.
Great movie, thank you for your great reaction. I think top Gun Maverick is a perfect sequel, its one of the rare occasions where the second movie is better than the first one imho.
Not sure why...but my favorite shot (aside from the opening which is one of the best of all time IMO..the crescendo to Danger Zone is amazing) is when Hollywood and Wolfman get shot down and they show Maverick hearing it on the radio, knowing he now has to launch, good stuff. 👍✌
DC's Peacemaker tomorrow!
Finished Love Death & Robots S3 & Peacemaker on the patreon! Click here for early access: www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema
Have a great day everyone!
the Admiral of the Carrier is Strickland from Back to the Future.
SO, fun fact the Cockpit scenes were all filmed in Simulators and the JET scenes are mostly Real Aircraft with Real pilots. some minitures were used for Stunts.
Screw Battlefield 3 fighter jets! If you have the need for speed after watching the Top Gun movies, I highly recommend playing Ace Combat 7! Basically Top Gun: The Game but more sci-fi and a whole bunch more anime plot and characters, which I think you won't mind :D
Loving the Peacemaker reactions, such a great show.
RIP Tony Scott. 🙏
Some info for the accident that killed Goose. After flying through the engine wash from Iceman's jet, Maverick/Gooses F14 has the engines flame out, and they don't go simultaneously so the aircraft starts to spin. This accident was based off a real training accident with the F14, where if a crew has to eject during a flat spin, the canopy doesn't clear because they aren't moving forward, which is why Goose slammed into the canopy during the ejection.
Thank you for explaining it. I always wondered exactly what and why. That’s is just so logical and makes absolute sense. Good job explaining it to a dummy. 🤪 👍🏻
Salute. A complex scenario broken down to the point that a laymen can understand. Cheers mate, most helpful.👍
After some thought, it came to me. You should write a Jets for Dummies book explaining things like this, it’s fun knowledge when you can understand it.
Yeah. From what I remember, the early F-14's engines was susceptible to that kind of flame out. So much so that they were replaced by engines from F-111s. But the pilots had to be retrained on later F-14 models, and unlearn what they learned about the early F-14s operations.
The canopy wasn't a forward motion issue, it was a yet unknown ejection timing issue.
Ward Carroll (former F-14 pilot) did a good video explaining it.
I enlisted in 1992. Pretty much because of this movie and also because my family was Navy. At the recruiter, I had the option to go cryptology after ASVAB testing. The wait for schools would have been years. Instead, I opted to go in immediately and had Yeoman or Airman options for school. I asked what a Yeoman was - the recruiter said it was clerical work. I asked about Airman, the recruiter said, "have you ever seen Top Gun?"
Three months later, I was on the flight deck of the USS Kitty Hawk, underway for a WestPac. I worked around all of the jets featured in this movie and some of the ones featured in Maverick. I went to boot camp in San Diego, where a lot of this film was made. I was stationed on North Island, wheer Maverick is stationed in the second movie.
Good times.
I just wish I didn't have the constant ear ringing and hearing loss.
LMFAO, that last part. Haha, appreciate you for sharing this honestly homie. Dope that this film inspired you to pursue this!
@Gerald H, I got offered lots of options, but school was so far out on all of them. I didn't want to wait years and start second guessing myself. I opted for the quickest way in so I would be on my way to a career.
San Diego was a lot of fun. The only downside was that it was relatively close to the amphib base on Coronado. Which, in the 90s, meant that if you messed up you got some extra PT with Navy Seals. I never got punished but I had friends come back bawling their eyes out.
Is your online buddy a grumpy old senior chief? Those were my favorite. My chief was a crotchety guy that could spot some work that you needed to finish a mile away. He could see a spot of missing paint on a bulkhead with pinpoint clarity. He could find dirt on angle iron that nobody else could see. I swear he had a sixth sense for busy work.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I've heard similar stories from people who were influenced to join the armed forces because of this film.
Thank you for your service....
I just wanted to mention that a couple of my uncles, back in the late 70's, early 80's, proudly served onboard the Battle Cat. She was truly something special.
Tuskegee Airmen is an old HBO movie with Lawrence Fishburne and Cuba Gooding Jr. that's about the first black fighter pilots in WW2. Really good one imo
Something I learned about Goose's death from the special features - in a flat spin the pilot of an F-14 is too far forward of the center of gravity and gets pinned. This leaves ejecting up to the RIO (Goose). In normal flight the canopy separated from the fuselage of the plane fairly quickly but in a flat spin it lingered so the RIO had to wait for the canopy to clear before ejecting the seats but Goose panicked and that's why he impacted the canopy. You even hear Maverick remind Goose "Watch the canopy" before Goose pulls the handles.
Ejection timings are automatic. There's a canopy jettison that doesn't trigger the seats, but that is mostly for escape purposes and not ejection. Goose did everything right.
Ahhhhh, damn. Yeah I figured that while watching it in the editing process.
Yeah they lost an F-14 in a simelar accident before that. BUT the Ejection timing is automatic and there is no way to "watch the canopy" in that situation. There are ways that you can die in a ejection, but thats not one of the ones I got taugh about because it is very far out there, but I also didn't fly the Tomcat, so who knows. Still tho, never heared of anyone hitting he canopy on their way out (F-35 taken out of that of course)
@@ptprojektred In the special features it was the real life Viper who was the script consultant who said it. It wouldn't surprise me if the F-14 was just developed at this weird time where a bunch of things common in later aircraft just didn't quite make it in.
@@michaelnuzzo5698 Yeah maybe. Like I said I few a few generations behind them so health and safty where maybe a little lose at the time.
When you watch this the first time, Val Kilmer comes off as the asshole. But watch it a few times and you realize he's doing and saying the right thing every single time.
Oh I never thought of him as an asshole hahaha. He always seemed the most capable!
Yep, in retrospect Maverick is the closest thing there is to a villain. Ice is just calling him out for it.
Tim Robbins was Merlin (purple helmet) that flew with Maverick at the end scenario there. Good old Andy Dufrene (Shawshank). "You're gonna do WHAT?"
9:52 The 'old guy' that Charlie is with at the bar is Rear Admiral Pete Pettigrew, the REAL 'Viper' and technical advisor for the movie. In the Vietnam War, he and his wingman came under attack from 4 MiGs whilst low on fuel. 90 SECONDS later, two MiG's were down, Pete bagging one and the remaining two saw enough, broke contact and ran..
I was obsessed with Top Gun as a kid. When I was showing my horses, I actually called my grey gelding Iceman, not only for the obvious connotation, but because he was stone cold and never turned out of a jump. You could let go of the reins, turn him towards a fence, and he'd do the rest. He was just one of those perfect matches you get once in your career if you're lucky. Needless to say, the name suited him well, at least in that regard. His barn name was Cisco, after Dances With Wolves. (my mom named him that, I named him Iceman). It's kind of confusing, but normal in the horse world. But both names fit him well. Even as a kid, I was obsessed with movies lol.
And when it comes to filming war movies, not many got it better at an emotional or personal level that the Scott brothers did. I don't know if you've reacted to G.I. Jane yet, but Ridley directed that along with BlackHawk Down, and those were deeply personal while being action packed. That's what drew me to these directors. Their ability to peel back the layers, but make it interesting and relatable.
I'm still obsessed with Top Gun
@@BDogg2023 I named my barn cats after Xena characters: Xena, Gabrielle, Aphrodite, Aries, etc. it was a whole thing.
I grew up going to air shows every year so this was required viewing in my family. My dad used it to test out his new speaker system when I was a kid. Great pick!
An all-time classic! You have to check out Top Gun: Maverick after this. In my opinion, it's even better than the first.
Not a hot take, Maverick is a phenomenonal movie
Not controversial at all.
A much better film emotionally than the first
@@Wired4Life2 You'd be surprised at how many people didn't like the movie. However, I think the general consensus is positive so you have a point.
@@pranavnnair5 My only major complaint about Maverick is that I wanted the movie to be more Top Gun and less Iron Eagle.
And if that's the only major issue I have, then then I can't see a reason to raise a fuss.
James, now you absolutely have to react to the hilarious parody of this film, Hot Shots! It's very much in keeping with Airplane and even co-stars Lloyd Bridges, at his comedic best.
The Rambo parody was the best of the Hot Shots movies!
You know somewhere there is portrait of Tom Cruise,getting ever older like a modern Dorian Gray. Also I need to see Hot Shots! again now.
You should definitely see the sequel. Val Kilmer's scene in it is my favorite part. Had me in tears.
The filming of the flat spin that killed Goose actually cost a person his life. The movie is dedicated to the memory of Art Scholl, a top notch aerobatic pilot and airshow performer, who died filming the cockpit segments in an actual flat spin. The high-performance biplane he was flying did not recover from the spin as it was supposed to, and he rode it into the ground.
This was my first Tom Cruise movie, ever! Even as an adult I grin like an idiot every time and wish I was as awesome as Maverick, even though I totally understand that in the real world Mav would break so many military laws they'd just haul him in front of the firing line and get it over with! LOL
This was the first Tom Cruise movie I saw on VHS when in was 4-5 years old. This is also my dad's favorite movie.
The film was a box office and critical success making $360 million dollars ($798 million dollars today) at the box office against a $15 million dollar budget.
People don't understand how huge Top Gun was in the 80s and well into the 90s.... and now it's come back around again.
I eventually ruined my VHS copy of this movie I watched it so much as a kid.
Good times.
@@spddracer, I broke my Betamax tape probably by playing scenes in slow motion over and over. We had a Beta VCR and even in 1987 they were rare and it was especially hard to find a store that rented and sold their tapes.
@@thepodbaydoorshal I'd say it's pretty multi-generational. Especially with the sequel having come out.
Something hilarious that most people miss is when Maverick talks about "going below the hard deck for a few seconds" it actually means he crashed into the ground. The hard deck being the term for a set limit below which one cannot travel in an exercise. I believe they set a hard deck because different places in the world have different elevations.
it's so you can have the practice of maneuvering all the way to the ground without the actual danger of flying so close to the ground.
The hard deck is the hard deck, not the ground. It’s the simulated ground. If they were actually talking about the ground they would call it…..the ground.
I helped rescue a dude a Top Gun pilot who had a rock climbing accident. He was pretty impressive in how he bore up under the injuries he had to deal with until we got him to the road. Foot facing the wrong way, shattered patella, flayed back. Bad ass dude, his climbing partners not so much.
Went to see Top Gun Maverick with my mum who saw Top Gun in theatre as a teenager. It's her favourite movie. She CRIED during Maverick she was so thrilled it was a great film.
A little trivia: Tom Skerrit (the actor who plays Commander Viper) was actually in the United States Air Force as a young man. During his acting career he excelled at playing stoic, authoritative characters, no doubt helped by his calm presence and that distinctive moustache. Another great performance of his is Dallas, the brave captain of the Nostromo in the classic Alien (1979).
Not to mention his great role as the Sheriff opposite Christopher Walken in the Dead Zone.
You can be my filmmaker anytime.
Also, it's interesting how the Top Gun movies avoid naming the enemies they are fighting against. There are about three candidates for what country could the enemy be from, but nothing is confirmed. The intentionality of keeping the villain an amorphous combination of three countries is almost ingeniously done by combining impossible geography, mismatched markings, and fictional aircraft.
migs aren't a fictional aircraft albeit maybe a fictional model; that makes it either Russia or a country given planes by Russia
@@helvete_ingres4717 It's a fictional model of Migs, with a more Chinese symbolism on them, and a dash of NK added in (original screenplay had NK as the enemy, but things were just cooling down with them, so they changed it). And it taking place in the Indian ocean, also makes it confusing, as NK and China didn't have a presence in that area.
Most Americans don't know enough to care. They hear Mig, see a red star, and generations of jingoism flare up in their blood.
@@transformersrevenge9 fair enough, idk what power with a navy on the indian ocean would have had migs; I guess no such nation existed. I always understood it as they were just playing very coy and playing it safe by never saying Russia, or Soviets, but its American Cold War-era audience was basically supposed to understand it that way
@@helvete_ingres4717 Yeah, it can be assumed who they are fighting, but I guess they didn't want to piss anyone off.
Spoilers for Top Gun 2.
And the new movie did the same. Best case guess is that it's Iran they are dealing with, but again, the tech, the context and the location don't exactly add up.
Tony Scott (RIP) had a very particular aesthetic across his work. Look for contrasting color motifs (in TG it's blue and yellow/orange), moody soundtracks, and intense performances.
For more of his 80's work - The Hunger and Beverly Hills Cop 2
I wonder how his Tony Scott's Top Gun sequel would have looked, considering how his style changed with the movies he did in the late '90s and the 2000s. Would it have looked more like "Deja Vu" and "Man on Fire" or would he have tried to match the first movie in a way?
IMO, peak Tony Scott - at least visually - was Crimson Tide. Talk about contrasting color, he dialed it up to 11 on that one.
@@Tr0nzoid He did lean hard on the sepia tone in his later work. And dizzying fast cuts. It would have been interesting for sure.
"Ah yes, the MiG-28...my favorite aircraft ever produced." I got a buddy in the airforce and he can't help but laugh every time I tell him this joke.
As a Navy brat growing up in the 80s this movie might’ve been the biggest thing that happened to me as a kid.
I remember my dad took me to the theater on base to see it and he covered my eyes during the sex.
I love how Viper gives Maverick the tools he needs to overcome his demons. Telling him that his father was a hero and offering to be his Rio - he’s saying “I trust you with my life”
Glad you finally watched the documentary Top Gun. It's arguably the most awesome movie from the most awesome decade of movies.
Volleyball scene edited as a dogfight is a unique insight I haven't heard before!
I found it interesting that Mad Maxx best friend was nicknamed goose, and Maverick had a friend Goose. Both died horribly. It's interesting that both Gosses have the same optimistic attitudes and enjoy life, like a mother Goose. I get that feeling when Goose was straightening Maverick's collar before talking to Charlie in the hallway It's done for comedic effect but also to show a familial relationship, and Goose wants Mavrick to be happy.
What I really love is that when this movie first came out on VHS everyone that worked on the air base that my father-in-law worked was given a copy. My husband wore their copy out within about a month he watched it so much. My father-in-law use to work on the jets and even played a small part in designing some.
I hope you see the sequel soon. The thing I loved about it is that it really picks up Maverick's character (and a couple of others) in a way that makes a lot of logical sense. They don't try to reinvent anything, but instead you can interpret how the characters have continued to grow from one film to the next. It's really good.
After seeing Top Gun Maverick its crazy to go back to watch this seeing how young they look. Val Kilmer is great and his brief role in Maverick made me cry he did amazing
Top Gun Maverick is something to behold when you know the actors were taught to fly the jets, and when you see Tom doing his thing as probably the best action hero in history (after this at least) you will cream your pants.
Dang, I love how you were getting so much out of this movie, dissecting the filmmaking and all. Most people just shrug this movie off as being a more shallow movie. It may not be the deepest story, but this is one of my favorites. I've seen it many times at this point. It's just such a charming, cool movie from the 80s.
7:30 This scene always made me chuckle. In real life, Tom Cruise and James Tolkan are almost the same height :D
Deuces!
Zero CGI was used in this movie. All flying shots are real. And all explosions in the sky where done with scale models.
Long live reality!!
1. An old shipmate of mine was on the Enterprise when they filmed this.
2. Gooses death was not Maverick's fault. Iceman was bogarting his LOS approach and they got caught in the jet wash.
3. I spent 24 years in the US Navy. 6 on "bird farms" (Carriers). I have seen 1000+ launches and landings without a single crash.
These men and the men working the flat tops are doing the most dangerous job in the world (for the good guys). Props to all of them.
4. Kelly McGillis/Charlie was in a great movie with Harrison Ford "Witness" that's seriously worth a first time/share HINT HINT
5. Tom Skerritt/Viper not only played Dallas in "Alien" he also played Strawberry in "Up in Smoke" with Cheech and Chong.
6. Val Kilmer/Iceman has a long list of movies including but not limited to: "Willow", "The Doors" and "Tombstone"
7. It's not likely that an E-6 is delivering coffee to the Air Boss that spilled his coffee.
8. The Squadron Leader would not be smoking a cigar in the AirOps space.
9. Meg Ryan is my honey. A great overlooked movie with her is with Tom Hanks called, "Joe vs the Volcano' She plays 3 parts. HINT HINT
10. Onboard the ship all the perspiration is Hollywood(not the pilot). There is AC onboard.
11. The TOP GUN school is no longer located at Miramar near San Diego. It's now at NAS Fallon, NV.
12. You ABSOLUTELY need to do the new one. First of all, the ariel work in the next one makes this one look like they're practicing. Best of all the new one has a plot.👌
It is said that the cockpit of a fighter is the most difficult office job. You need to be able to continuously evaluate the tactical situation while taking in information from almost innumerable sensors while flying a plane and putting a lot of stress on your body. They also say that their heart rates can be higher when landing on a carrier than in actual combat.
This was made with the permission and assistance of the United States Navy. The flying sequences were achieved with a combination of miniatures, stunt pilots and rear projection. The Navy's fighter weapon school has since been relocated to Nevada, while Miramar, California is a Marine Corps Air Station. The F-14 Tomcat has since been replaced by the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor and variants of the F-35. The Navy took full advantage of the popularity of this film and placed recruiting booths outside movie theaters. Their recruiting numbers skyrocketed
For some context, landing a plane like an F-14 on a aircraft carrier is landing a roughly 40,000lbs, 38 million dollar (in 80s money) machine loaded with bombs, missiles, gun rounds, and fuel, while travelling at about 160mph, and getting it to stop in under 500 feet, while several dozen to 100+ people stand and work merely a few feet away from where you touch down. And there is NO alternate airport to go to. Generally speaking, it’s considered the most difficult thing to do in all of aviation, military or civilian.
Some back story about the F-14. At the time, it was the most complex, ambitious, and expensive fighter plane ever built. Due to the scope and scale of the project, the plane was set to be rolled out in phases. The original F-14As were fitted with an older engine that was already in use on other aircraft. However, these engines were not designed specifically for use on fighter jets. As such, they had difficulties operating in some of the conditions that fighter jets could put them. The original F-14As were prone to what’s called a Compressor Stall. Later versions of the plane had new engines specifically designed for use on the F-14 fitted. The US Navy retired the last of their F-14Ds in 2009.
Ironically, Iran is the last country still flying F-14s, though their operational status is questionable. The story of how Iran ended up with F-14s is quite the story in itself, as are some of the stories of American sabotage of the planes.
Because the two engines on an F-14 are set far apart, when one of them goes out, it causes a rotational momentum to develop, as the thrust is off-center. The pilot has an extremely small window to correct the situation before it gets out of control.
A flat spin can, and did, interfere with the aerodynamics over the canopy during an ejection sequence. At least one F-14 RIO (the one who sits in the back seat) was killed during a failed ejection sequence as a result of a flat spin, during a training exercise. One note though, the way the flat spin is depicted in the movie is not what a real flat spin is. The depiction in the movie is physically impossible, but visually more dramatic.
The sad reality is that pilots are killed on an annual basis in training exercises. It’s a very dangerous job. Scenes like the one with Meg Ryan play out across the military aviation community far more often than most people realize.
A bunch of the scenes of flying at low level through desert canyons was filmed at the China Lake Weapons Testing Facility near Death Valley California. The most famous and well known canyon that pilots use for training is called Rainbow Canyon, aka “Star Wars Canyon”. The canyon earned the Star Wars name after some of the Pod Racing scenes from Star Wars: Episode 1 were filmed there.
There’s a lookout point overlooking the canyon that you can visit, and watch the jets fly through the canyon below you. You can even tune in on their radio frequency and listen to the pilots. The canyon is part of a low level flight route through Southern California, and happens to be a short cut between Point C and Point J on the route. As such, when the pilots fly this route, the call they make on the radio is something like “Felix 6-2, two-ship F-18, east bound, Jedi Transition through Star Wars Canyon, 500 knots 500 feet”
I could be wrong, but I don't think they landed fully-loaded aircraft ;-)
Not full on fuel, but with enough fuel for multiple attempts. They definitely land with a full weapons load though.
With the cost of AIM-54 Phoenix missiles, landing with a full Phoenix load was part of the original design criteria. Can’t afford to dump those puppies in the ocean.
German Airforce Pilot here. I never went to Topgun since its a US Navy thing (went to Green Flag West tho before the Rona), but still everyone I knew and worked with knew this movie by heart and still qoutes it. For many people it was even part of why they wanted to join. There are a lot of things that are a little of about this movie, the most favous one being them saying "Fireing" instead of "Fox X" to clarefie the type of missle being used (the coms are just bad in generel), the MIGs being played by F-5s, some bad bubble violations, close formations flying which no one like in the real world, no one wearing their masks, no existant Jinking and wiered BFM, the list goes on and I am sure enough people allready complained about this fantasy movie. You just have to understand that this is real Jets but the story and everything surrunding it is basically Star Wars. BUUUT it is so hard to dislike this movie or really nitpick it. I would say its close to imposible to have a bad time with it really one of the greats. Same goes for the new one. Great movie, a little better in terms or realisem but still Fantasy.
Not to mention using missiles at such close proximity?
@@gregall2178 Also that depending on the scene. There are some shoots where it looks like the shoot real missles, but in most cases at that close distance the missel wouldn't arm or just go dumb.
The aerial shots in this movie were just 🤌
The hard deck is the ground. So during training when Maverick states he ducked below the training hard deck. He was admitting he flew into the ground.
Viper mentioned the 'hard deck' was 10,000'... That's usually AGL (above ground level). Hard deck being the ground itself wouldn't make much sense ;-)
This was a first date movie for me when I was 23. Being a little bit of an aviation buff them saying the hard deck was 10k' and then they're flying between rock formations trigged my pedantic nerve 😀
...that and the fact the flat spin takes place over the ocean... from the 'hop' area (over an arid, desert-like area) to the ocean would mean they would be flying over civilian areas. Doubt they would do that while dogfighting.
So we used to talk about the Top Gun Theory of Tom Cruise Movies. It was that all Tom Cruise movies followed the format of Tom being the best but having to prove himself, bad thing happens (most likely loses love/friend/family), Tom proves himself as Top whatever. Worked for:
Color of Money: Top Pool Player
Cocktail: Top Bartender
Days of Thunder: Top NASCAR Driver (almost literally a remake of Top Gun)
A Few Good Men & The Firm: Top Lawyer 1 & 2
Mission Impossible: Top Spy.
Far and Away: Top Irish Potato Farmer
Risky Business: Top Pimp.
Worked for a lot of 80’s and 90’s Tom Cruise Movies.
Yo yo yo - this film was one of the cornerstone films of my childhood. Great memories of this film. Love the videos, James. Stay real - peace and love bro 🫶🏼
My guy, stay wavy my brother 🙏🏽
@@JamesVSCinema always, bro 🫶🏼🫡
"The Cool Kids' Club". I'm down with that! ;) Thanks for another excellent reaction and for sharing your insight.
James: This cinematography is awesome. You don’t get this anymore.
TopGun Maverick: Hold my beer.
Goin' below the 'hard deck' is hillarious once you realise the 'hard deck' represents the ground in training. Mav seeing the opponent go below the hard deck and following him to shoot means "I saw him crash into the ground so i also crashed into the ground to shoot at an airplane...that crashed into the ground." It makes NO sense XD
Shout out to Harold Faltermeyer, one of my favorite musicians to score films... This one and Beverly Hills Cop are legendary
Yes, the footage was specifically choreographed and shot for the movie by advisors and pilots. The RUclipsr pilot C.W. LeMoine just put up an interview with one of those Navy pilots who worked on the filming.
In a few shots, the camera mounts on the planes are visible. To most people, they just look like anything else mounted to the plane.
"Top Gun" was a huge deal for some of us at that time but the F-14 was a very prominent and popular fighter plane. Just before the movie came out, the kind of carrier operations that book-end the movie were in the headlines with actions involving Libya. It was the main aircraft in the G.I.Joe toy line, seen in the daily cartoon series at the time the movie came out (back when kids played with toys and watched cartoons after school). Nothing else looked like this either, and it was often praised (and panned) for what was seen as a music video style of filmmaking.
Gaming tie-in for you, the guy that plays Jester, Michael Ironside, is the voice of Sam Fisher in many of the Splinter Cell games.
Love those games
This movie captures that 80's California vibe so well!
11:15 Don't forget when this movie was made - no such thing as CGI in 1986, certainly not anything that could ever be mistaken for real. See "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan", specifically the "Genesis" video within that movie, for the state of the art of computer graphics around this time. Some of this was done with miniatures, but mostly it's real footage of real aircraft.
I REALLY wish we could see your reaction to MAVERICK. No CGi. Especially in IMAX, it's an experience
The scene where Maverick throws Goose's dogtags into the water was filmed on the USS Carl Vinson, the first ship I was stationed on and my ride to see the world.
Yo that’s badass
Love the opening comments about film ratings/ reviews, I'm a big believer of if I want to watch a film I will regardless of critics due to the fact of some of my favourite films are critical failures. After all a critic is just a person with an opinion just like the rest of us. 👍
Awesome movie. Great performances, great action and an absolutely killer soundtrack.
Anthony Edwards 'Goose' is a great actor. The movie that threw him on the map is a great comedy from '83 called 'Revenge of the Nerds.' and he was also absolutely stunning in a tv show called 'E.R.'
I think I first saw him in Gotcha! (saw it before Revenge...). He was still a weirgin in that one 😀
@@gregall2178 Loved Gotcha
Such an movie often written off as macho boy-gasm but like you say, well written with so many layers to the characters, and just cool inventive cinematography.
The cockpit shots had the practical effect of the shakiness. They were done on set but instead of the camera-people shaking the camera manually they attached a drill with an off-centre counter-weight to the camera and the oscillation provided the consistent shake.
The "take my breath away" theme coming in when Mav is heading to the date and his character showing a vulnerable quality is one of my favourite parks of the film.
If you made it this far James, I would love to see your reaction to more 80s Cruise. One called 'The Color of Money' with Paul Newman. This was a gem of a movie that really surprised me with it's gritty 80s dive bar qualities and well written characters
"Real Genius" is one of Val Kilmer's best comedic roles, bar none. Please do that one!
"It looks cool, but can I feel it..." very much yes, and even moreso in the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick
Hahaha great tag line.
"Top Gun" was a one hour and 50 minute-long recruitment propaganda piece. I was working as an usher at the Leow's Movie Theater in Levittown, NY, which was closest to Grumman, makers of military jets, spacecraft, and... buses? Anyway, our multiplex had a very special preview of this movie for some top military brass. Our biggest theater was roped off and EVERYONE, including staff, was forbidden to enter. It was that big of a deal. It's also a bit of trivia isn't mentioned on IMDb. 😉
10:35 - This movie was known mostly for its soundtrack. At this moment, they're playing an instrumental of what I think is the best song in the entire movie. "Mighty Wings" by Cheap Trick.
11:12 - There was no CGI in this movie as you'd know it today. For the first use of real CGI - computer generated imagery - check out "The Last Starfighter" (1984). Trust me. They weren't that much further ahead from that point in 1986.
16:08 - It would have been against the rules if she'd been an officer, which is why the writers made her a civilian contractor.
On a final note, pilots are fine $5.00 for every line from this movie that they say on Top Gun grounds.
No, the scene at the start of the film is not a tutorial. Both Maverick and Goose have already graduated from flight school and are an active duty Navy aviator and RIO in the US Navy assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. Top Gun is meant as a dogfighting training school for fighter pilots who are already active duty pilots who are in the top 10% level of pilots in the Navy.
Viper isn't a Lt. He's a Commander. Maverick is a Lt. and Goose was a Lt. JG (Junior Grade)
Hello James, Awesome, Awesome Work Bro, Once Again!!! Awesome Movie Too!!!😎👍👍Greetings from Helsinki, Finland 🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸🇫🇮🇺🇸
Appreciation of Val Kilmer is a sign of good taste. 🙂
Yess indeed
Gonna have so much fun watching the new one in theater 🤯
The US Military did a bunch of unbelievable things to help the production of this film including turning an aircraft carrier around for a better shot and actually firing a VERY expensive missile. They were only allowed to fire one missile so they covered it from every angle imaginable. The editing is so effective (and convincing) after the film was released the Navy opened an investigation into EXACTLY how many missiles had been fired. Yes, It was just one.
Val's been my favorite actor since I saw TOP SECRET! in the theater as a kid. I recently rewatched this and it seemed completely different. Even I used to think Iceman was the villain. He was just right.
Apparently, a real missile was approved by the Navy to be fired for this movie and Tony Scott had it filmed from multiple angles, so that he could used it for every time that a missile is fired in movie.
Top Gun: Maverick is no joke a really great action film. I was thinking about it for a couple of days after I saw it. The real problem is how much I was thinking about it after I left the theater and thought that I should try to drive my Jeep like some kind of fighter jet back to my house. No one was harmed, and while I can't say that any laws were infrracted, nobody recorded alleged infractions via police radar or speed cams.
Top Gun is a great flick with memorable characters. The awesome soundtrack makes it even better. To me, it plays a great part in the film's success.
Did you notice that Maverick's RIO in the last scene (Indian Ocean dogfight) is Tim Robbins from Shawshank Redemption?
Not me eating bagels and cream cheese while watching James react to movies in my free time >.>
I went to see the new movie in cinema and it was awesome! The fact that the actors were piloting real F-18 for real change everything. I like it more than the first one. Hope you will like it.
The actors never piloted but we’re in the planes.
@@vincentjoyce5100 For the first movie it's true, but I have seen behinds the scenes that showed tom cruise pilotng the jet, you can even see the speed deforming their face as they are turning and changing speed. With the exeption of the first jet in the movie. Ofcurse they had stunt actors to make the hardest shots bit as I heasd and saw every scene showing them in the jets were real flith.
And also I head that each actors took several monts of training for that. (Don't remember how many.)
If I missed something feel freeto point me out.
James, that was well spoken at the end
TG: Maverick you have to see in theatres
Thank you for this wonderful reaction
Have a good one
Originally, the rock band Toto was supposed to perform the song 'Danger Zone,' but turned it down. Kenny Loggins had already contributed one song to the Top Gun soundtrack, 'Playing With The Boys,' and was asked by the producers if he'd perform 'Danger Zone.' All Loggins asked was, "Is it an up-tempo rock song?" They assured him that it was, and he agreed to record the song, as he felt he needed something more than just ballads to perform when he was on tour.
Theres a great 2 and a half hour behind the scenes/making of of this film. It's on RUclips as well. It's interesting with the actual military stuff. Tony Scott originally told the pilots to run the kind of maneuvers they would at real Top Gun. When he got the footage back, it was some rather boring flying. He told them he couldnt use it and what could they do to make it more exciting. So that's where you get the pilots doing all the crazy shit you see in the movie. That's all stuff they'd never do in training or actual maneuvers, but at least it plays on a big screen.
The other big change is that actual Top Gun doesn't have a trophy. Their military expert - who used to be an instructor at TG - said it was fine for the film. It gives something for the characters to strive to attain. He said if they did have a Top Gun trophy, the pilots would probably kill themselves and/or each other trying to win it, their level of competitiveness is so high.
Top Gun was great but Top Gun: Maverick elevated it even more. It’s the perfect dilogy!
This was my favorite movie when I was a kid. I wanted to be a pilot (joined the Air Force later in life, not a pilot but a aircraft mechanic lol). I also loved this movie for having swearing for a PG movie lol
James, if you get the chance, definitely see Top Gun Maverick while it's still in the theater - heck, see it in IMAX if you can. It's amazing filmmaking, probably better than the first one, and you won't regret making the trip to the theater for it.
A Nick Cage and Tommy Lee Jones counterpoint with Apache helicopters is called FIREBIRDS. Good humor and great combat just like this
I need to check out this movie and its sequel, Top Gun Maverick. They seem to be really great.
This, the original, was a pip culture event when it released in the 80s, the new one is somehow EVEN BETTER!!!
Dude watch the original fast and if you can see the sequel in the cinema you are in for an absolute treat!
I'd imagine many people who comment on this reaction are HUGE fans of this movie. I'm one of them. And I'm going to add this: the new movie currently out? Top Gun: Maverick? It's legitimately better. Cinematographically, you will be 1,000% blown away.
I don't really have much to add to what has been said either by you James or other people here in the thread but some short things. First, I love your reactions as always. Second, now that you've seen Top Gun you need to watch the spoof of this movie which is Hot Shots. (and when you finish Rambo, Hot Shots Part Deux). Also finally, I think Tom Skerritt (Viper) needs a shout out. This guy is so smooth in pretty much everything he has made, this, Alien, Steel Magnolias, an overall cool guy.
7:46 the guy from BACK TO THE FUTURE (the teacher or principal)
The Legal Eagle broke this film down with a JAG lawyer and there's a crap ton of laws Maverick broke in this film including some violations that may have given him the death penalty in the right circumstance 😂
Iceman was the better pilot the more and more I watch 🤷🏽♂️ Man held off 5 enemy jets while Mav needed to listen to Goose.
But Mav does have a great support system from his classmates and instructors!
(Val Kilmer in Real Genius is highly recommended!!)
Absolutely agree! Maverick was the more naturally gifted but Iceman was the best pilot overall, also despite being put there as the antagonist to Maverick he was never the stereotypical villain and everything he said to Mav was the absolute and much needed truth that Maverick needed to hear but didn't want to; Iceman understood that at the end of the day despite the Top Gun prize they were always on the same team (even in training, they were never pitted against each other but always as wingmen against the instructors) and that yes unpredictability and instinct were useful against the enemy but safety towards your wingmen was more important. To Maverick's credit he is shown to actually be learning that afte each training mission but it always took Goose's words and eventually death (even if it wasn't anyone's fault) to finally understand it completely and thus fulfilling his potential as a pilot. In the end it makes sense, Mav was the second best at the beginning after Cougar, and there were reasons for that, it took the whole movie for him to learn all the stuff that Iceman was already excelling at by the time we saw him on screen. Also last but not least, Maverick & Goose understood each other and the first listened to the latter, but only afterward each encounter, Goose was amazing and the wisest of the two but Mav always ended up doing what he wanted and Goose knew he couldn't do much to stop him, on the other hands even with as little as we saw them, Iceman and Slider were a perfect team and always communicating and listening (even in the volleyball game, which they won because of that) to each other as a pilot and a RIO should do.
Iceman is right the whole movie. He's just a dick about it. At least initially. But when Mav doesn't shape up it's totally fine to be a dick about it
Gotta show love to the greatest. Heavily gotta watch that.
@@nocturneJOJO great observations! Goose’s death even brought Ice and Mav closer together. I notice Goose has a great degree of appreciation for Iceman from their interaction at the bar (I like how Goose literally tells Mav that Iceman is The Best! Lol)
@@JamesVSCinema can’t wait! College student Val Kilmer mischief awaits!
Thanks for this. Tony Scott is such a solid director, his catalogue is packed with gems, this included. Great stuff as always, your love and joy is infectious. Hope you are well, As always, stay awesome, stay genuine.. much love
Hey Gary! I always appreciate the love brotha. Thank you!
Man on Fire is an awesome Tony Scott flick that James should react to.
The Right Stuff has no protagonist. Maybe Chuck Yeager (Sam Shepherd). The amazing shit he actually did in real life is used as a framing device throughout. X-15. Breaking the sound barrier.
We see POV of Yeager, John Glenn (Ed Harris), and the very end for Gordo Cooper (Dennis Quaid) who is basically a minor character. All three, from the pilots POV.
I think, maybe, the Narrator is the protagonist. Levon Helm, from the band called The Band, oddly enough. A voice of butter, maple syrup, and rocksalt. Helm also had a minor role as Ridley. "Hey, Ridley. Gotta a stick of Beemans?"
I am not a super-patriotic sort day to day, but that movie makes me god damn proud to be an American. We put a man on moon in 1969 and these people helped get us there.
The score is fucking gorgeous. The cinematography and editing is shockingly good. For a movie from 1984 it looks great today, way better than Top Gun.
It is a stunningly great movie.
World of Warplanes is a fun WWII fighter pilot combat game up to 1960s jets. Fun for my flying combat fix :D
For earlier air combat featuring great film work, also depicting the tensions that pilots & the public were going through, consider reacting to the 1969 film (Battle of Britain). The earliest turning point during that conflict which instilled hope in the free world.
At a basic level, I do appreciate any movie that takes the time to film with the actual military. Propaganda yes, but it sure is awesome.
Also another favorite of mine is The Final Countdown from 1980 with Kirk Douglas, where a modern aircraft carrier goes back in time to WW2. Not a great movie by any means, but fun with great planes and flying caught on camera.
Also side note, if you are ever in Corpus Christi Texas, you can visit the old USS Lexigington aircraft carrier there, and it has one of the planes from the original Top Gun up on the deck.
Also in the original movie, they tried and wanted to get some in-cockpit footage of the actors in the planes reacting, but the footage was not good so it never got used. In the new movie, they invented new Imax cameras to mount in the F18, so the actors did get to fly and get reactions.
Oh yeah it's for sure propaganda but it doesn't take away from what a great film it is.
If Val kilmer is one of your favs you should definitely watch 'Val'. Regardless of reaction. Its a documentary from footage he has taken through his career and some other bits. Narrated by his son. Outstanding
Real Genius...great movie lol
Heard great things about this.
As a kid, literally the first time a movie made me cry, was when Goose died.
p.s.
Now lets, see if he spots "Andy Dufresne" 👀
The United States Navy Fighter Weapons School(Top Gun), established on March 3rd, 1969, is no longer located at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California. In 1996, the school was merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.
You should check out Wings (1927). It’s a silent film, the first best picture winner (well, what was essentially the best picture Oscar), and it’s about fighter pilots in WWI. It’s incredible, emotional, and the dogfights are amazing. There’s some really wonderful, innovative camerawork in the film too!
Wings is absolutely incredible. I wish more people would go that far back in cinematic history because their pure gold that has been almost buried like a lost treasure waiting to be discovered again.
@@jessecortez9449 I completely agree! Filmmakers by necessity had to be really daring back then, too, so there’s some really special films to be discovered if you’re willing to dig.
Great review, as always- thank you 🇺🇲🙏🏾🤠🙏🇨🇦🇵🇭
Great movie, thank you for your great reaction. I think top Gun Maverick is a perfect sequel, its one of the rare occasions where the second movie is better than the first one imho.
A great Val Kilmer movie is Real Genius. Kind of forgotten and underrated but so much fun. Would love to see your reaction! 💙
Not sure why...but my favorite shot (aside from the opening which is one of the best of all time IMO..the crescendo to Danger Zone is amazing) is when Hollywood and Wolfman get shot down and they show Maverick hearing it on the radio, knowing he now has to launch, good stuff. 👍✌