Some of you may recall the movie Top Gun from 1986...The oldies will for sure! I certainly recall it as I was 16 at the time and I had a very avid interest in planes of all types and this movie had a lot of flight sequences in it. Perfect! It was a pretty good movie which I have seen many times.
I watched it again recently, only a few days ago, and despite having seen it so many times I still enjoyed it. The flight sequences are still enjoyable and what's not to like about a troubled fighter pilot, his larrikin mate and RIO (radar intercept officer, who sits in the back seat of an F-14 Tomcat) and their hijinks in and around the more serious side of attending Navy Fighter Weapons School known as Topgun. With callsign's Maverick and Goose I think it's obvious who was who, and that viewers were in for a journey of fun and excitement.
Of course our two hero's couldn't get through the movie without some drama and there's plenty of that. Enter the aggressor, callsign Iceman and his own RIO, Slider who complicate matters and compete against the Maverick/Goose combination for best of the best accolade at Topgun. Inevitably there's a love-interest for the main character (Maverick) and predictably things get complicated between him and the hot blonde female civilian contractor callsign Charlie. No one really knows why she had a callsign as she was not an aviator, however Maverick, Goose, and the gang didn't seem too concerned about it.
The movie balances flight scenes (ACM), comedy hijinks (mainly from Goose), romantic interludes, more ACM (air combat manoeuvring) scenes, tragedy, triumph and a shirts-off beach volleyball scene all punctuated by a blood-pumping and emotive soundtrack.
It was hugely successful at the box office and like many movies of that nature quotes and sayings have been borrowed from the movie and used in everyday life. A few are below:
- I feel the need...the need for speed (This Maverick/Goose combination is probably the most famous. It was said as the lads were about to head off into the wild blue yonder for some ACM)
- You! You're still dangerous. You can be my wingman anytime Bullshit, you can be mine (This was an exchange between Maverick and Iceman. I won't give away the context in case you are inclined to watch the movie)
- But you remember one thing. You screw up just this much, you’ll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong (This was an exchange between the Captain of the aircraft carrier Maverick and Goose serve on and Maverick himself)
- It just doesn’t seem fair. To you, I mean. But, she’s lost that loving feeling (This gem is from Maverick to Goose in reference to a woman at the bar. Comedy hijinks ensue...)
- I can see it’s dangerous for you. But if the government can trust me, maybe you could (Pick up lines don't get much better this that bit of gold! Thank you maverick for this one!)
That's just a selection, but don't worry, there's plenty more where that came from. You really should see the movie if you want to gain some perspective around these quotes and to catch some of the other gems.
So, you may be wondering what made me watch the movie again and what prompted this post? Well, to be honest it's a cool movie. Sure, the acting may not be the best but it's one I recall fondly from when I was a kid (I ditched a school excursion to the Reserve Bank in the city to go and see it with a couple of friends).
Also because in 2019/20 a new Top Gun movie will be released, again featuring some of the characters from the original (and the same actors) as in the first one. I don't know how good or bad it'll be but I'm interested to see what 33 years of technological advancement can do to a movie. (A lot considering the difference between all the Star Wars movies.)
Below are the trailers to both although I think the trailer to Top Gun 2 (I think officially called Top Gun: Maverick may not be entirely accurate considering it's a long way out from the actual release of the movie. It seems to me to be a mashup of the new and old movies.
So, if you have nothing to do on the weekend get yourself in front of this movie and zone out from reality for a couple of hours. Watch the journey Maverick takes from troubled, arrogant pilot with a chip on his shoulder, through great personal loss, having to take accountability, and dedicated perseverance to the valid, respected and liked person at the end. Oh, for the ladies...Watch out for the volley ball scene...
Authors note: You will see I refer to the movie calling it Top Gun in two words. In actual fact Navy Fighter Weapons School is referred to by the navy (in the real world) as Topgun as a single word. Yes, it is a real place.
