Top Gun
Starring: Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis
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| Review Summary |
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"In Top Gun, we meet Pete Mitchell, AKA "Maverick", and Nick Bradshaw, AKA "Goose". The two are fighter pilots in the US Navy. Despite their being good boys at heart, they are daring rebels. Because of their skills as pilots, they are sent to Miramar, California, home of the fighter pilot school Top Gun. Ever the wild one, Maverick takes on Top Gun lightly and with arrogance. At once Maverick finds his antagonist in a fellow pilot, Iceman, an aggressive, arrogant, perfectionist. The remainder of the movie somewhat deals with Maverick's determination to beat Ice to win the Top Gun trophy.
Throughout the movie, Maverick is haunted frequently by his late father's history. Also a fighter pilot, Maverick's father was infamous for not following the rules and thus causing his own death. One of his female instructors, whom he hit on by singing to her in a bar, the lovely Charlie, tries to help him cope with this whilst juggling her policy of not dating students and her obvious love affair with him. At the same time, Maverick and Goose continue to excel at Top Gun and inch closer to the trophy.
Near the end of the film, something goes wrong during a dogfighting exercise 10,000 feet in the air. Maverick and Goose's plane goes through another aircrafts jet wash which induces a flat spin sending them out to sea. When it's all over, Goose has died and Maverick holds himself responsible. Maverick continues to blame himself for Goose's death and his anxiety keeps him from flying. The 8-week training ends with Ice winning the trophy but with several of the attendees, including Maverick, being sent out to a hostile situation in the Indian Ocean. Security is breached and the pilots protect the ship and their borders in the air. Maverick finally puts Goose's death and the ghost of his father aside in his mind and saves the day. Later on, after Maverick becomes an instructor at Top Gun, Charlie returns and the scene fades out with the same song Maverick serenaded her with upon their first meeting, You've Lost That Loving Feeling."
--Darci, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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"Top Gun follows Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) on his quest to become the best fighter pilot in the Navy. Given the opportunity of a lifetime, Pete and his Flight Officerr Goose are invited to attend Top Gun, the Navy's elite school for dogfighting. Pete and Goose must face challenges from Iceman (Val Kilmer), from Pete's love interest (Kelly McGillis), and from within themselves. "
--Mike G, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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"In real life, Tom Cruise may have never been a pilot for the Navy, but in this movie he portrays it well. In fact, this may have been Cruise's best movie in his pre-Jerry Maguire days. Kelly McGillis plays his love interest, and Anthony Edwards (ER) is his best friend."
--Teddy, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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"The elite of all US Naval Aviators are sent to Top Gun, a school that teaches the lost art of Dog Fighting."
--Jeremiah, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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"Top Gun is an action packed movie that contains intense military combat and a strong romance between "Maverick" (Tom Cruise) and "Charlie" (Kelly McGillis). There is never a dull moment throughout the whole movie. Top Gun could quite possibly be the best performance of Tom Cruise's career."
--Kyle, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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"Basically Tom Cruise gets lucky, gets to go to fighter weapons school."
--Jeff Pedrick, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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"Tom Cruise enters into competitions to be a top gun pilot and to sleep with Kelly McGillis."
--steve, Resident Top Gun Scholar
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| Overall Review |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 40%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 23.3%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 36.7%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1980's-1999
War Thriller
Yes
Armed Forces:
- Navy
Specific to
- near future war
Training/Promotion story?
Yes
Kinds of training/promotion:
- military
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- military pilot
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric:
Yes
- wild
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavy
Body type
- ample bosom & buttocks (woman)
How much in movie?
- 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 20's-30's
Profession/status:
- navy soldier
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
Desert?
Yes
Water?
Yes
Water:
- warship
Air?
Yes
Air:
- warplane
Misc setting
- fort/military installation
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- non-gory references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- excited
How many deaths in film?
- 1
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- licking
- sex under blankets
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 3 (some)
Kind of violence:
- air battles
- mission to protect something
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Modern rock/pop
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