Its extinction is inevitable. But before that is total, Tom Cruise takes his iconic screen character, Maverick above the normal human realm by flying at the speed of Mach 10 and beyond, way above the skies. This way, Tom Cruise has symbolically made Maverick an untouchable and a god of the screen, and an immortal. Witnessing it in full IMAX glory was one of the best cinematic experiences I had. Not because of the visual spectacle but because it is sublime. A literal mind might take it didactically but that is where they will never experience the epiphany.
That opening sequence is so significant because, at the end of it, Maverick is actually no more. Yet he got to come back for a while to make amends for his past guilt which is Goose through his son Rooster and go peacefully, which is shown with him flying the P-51 Mustang into the sunset with Penny.
Not only does Rooster bearing his father's resemblance honing the mustache and playing the song 'Great ball of fire' on piano with the same Hawaiian shirt is a cue for the audience to bring back Rooster from the first Top Gun into our memories, but also a sign that it is all happening in Maverick's head. Another major hint is of the same camera angle of him fixing the P-51 Mustang in Act 1 alone, and in Act 3 with Rooster coming to help. Top Gun is one of the best examples of telling a simple story in a great way.
Like in the film Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood bids farewell to an era. The closing of the 'American Dream'. Others, as we all can see are bowing to the demands of the industry to make a 'comeback' and are not able to just rest on their screen legacy. Indiana Jones, Jackie Chan, Stallone, and Arnold. Who are the current screen 'cultural icons of masculinity'?
Probably because the milieu does not require it. It is true what G. Michael Hopf said,
"Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men."
And ultimately, weak men create hard times. Not to blame it entirely on the affected generation. They are just the byproduct of the time they're in. The wheel of time shall keep on spinning. Like that Noel Harrison song, "The Windmill Of Your Mind".
