Top Gun: Maverick

[Bama Panther]

I grew up an ‘80s kid. Top Gun is one of my all-time favorite movies. I looked forward to this sequel from the time it was announced. The COVID delays increased the hype for me. 

I have several great friends who are F-15 and F-16 pilots. On Opening Night, their squadron rented out an entire theater for a private showing. My boys and I got three of the extra tickets they had. It was a great experience to watch the movie with a bunch of people who actually do what Tom Cruise and his co-stars did in the movie.

Overall, I thought the movie was really good and fantastic entertainment. There is nostalgia from the first movie, but I don’t feel like they overdid it. The relationship between Iceman and Maverick was great to see. I plan to see it again while I’m without my family during an upcoming training. 

As a JAG, I also robbed my buddies a bit by telling them, “We all know the better Tom Cruise sequel is still in the works. Everyone is waiting with baited breathe for ‘A Few More Good Men.’”

[thefuzz]

Hoping to see it Thursday, I think my wife may have bought tickets this morning.  Can't wait.

 

Couple buddies saw it, "super surprised" it was so good....I think most were expecting a flop after it being touted for so long.

[rayzor]

Never saw the first one. Won't see this one either.

[Davidson Deac II]

On 5/30/2022 at 9:30 AM, Bama Panther said:

I grew up an ‘80s kid. Top Gun is one of my all-time favorite movies. I looked forward to this sequel from the time it was announced. The COVID delays increased the hype for me. 

I have several great friends who are F-15 and F-16 pilots. On Opening Night, their squadron rented out an entire theater for a private showing. My boys and I got three of the extra tickets they had. It was a great experience to watch the movie with a bunch of people who actually do what Tom Cruise and his co-stars did in the movie.

Overall, I thought the movie was really good and fantastic entertainment. There is nostalgia from the first movie, but I don’t feel like they overdid it. The relationship between Iceman and Maverick was great to see. I plan to see it again while I’m without my family during an upcoming training. 

As a JAG, I also robbed my buddies a bit by telling them, “We all know the better Tom Cruise sequel is still in the works. Everyone is waiting with baited breathe for ‘A Few More Good Men.’”

Most of the reviews are positive. I will definitely see it when I can.

[Shocker]

On 5/31/2022 at 5:59 PM, rayzor said:

Never saw the first one. Won't see this one either.

Feels like silly stuff at my age…and the first one was 5 out of 10 back in the day.

[Captroop]

13 hours ago, Shocker said:

Feels like silly stuff at my age…and the first one was 5 out of 10 back in the day.

If a homoerotic volleyball sequence only revs your engine 5 out of 10, I feel bad for you, son.

[Panther'sBigD]

I'm sure it's a good movie. Tom Cruise is clinically insane, but he's never made a movie I wouldn't watch. That said, beyond being cool to watch, what purpose do manned fighter jets serve in this day and age? Haven't drones rendered them more or less obsolete? 

[Anybodyhome]

I was still on active duty serving with Carrier Group Seven out of San Diego when the original was filmed. Let's just say Mr. Cruise, at the time, was pretty much a dick. He rode his motorcycle around the base at Miramar and was pulled a few times for speeding (most bases are posted 25 & 35 everywhere). 

Some of the carrier scenes the ship had to maneuver to catch the sun just right for the shot or get the wind in a certain direction...

I was still competing in triathlons at the time and I would ride by the house they used for Kelly McGillis's character. It was moved down the block from where it was built to make room for a beachfront promenade, but here's a pre-move story:

I was in San Diego just 2 weeks ago to see my father and I took my wife to see the other famous location- where the Top Gun CO lived, which is the Coast Guard San Diego Lighthouse property:

This is where it is on Point Loma:

 

[d-dave]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:23 AM, Panther'sBigD said:

I'm sure it's a good movie. Tom Cruise is clinically insane, but he's never made a movie I wouldn't watch. That said, beyond being cool to watch, what purpose do manned fighter jets serve in this day and age? Haven't drones rendered them more or less obsolete? 

I think it's the human element.  When we think about giving machines more and more responsibility in our day to day lives (consider how much they already run things), we need to be careful.  I ended up learning a fair amount about these kinds of jets as I've learned what I can about that thing in Europe.

An Air Force works like a big organism with a lot of moving parts that do very specific jobs.  Like you wouldn't ask a bomber to win a dog fight.  Or a fighter to attack ground based radar targets.  Each of these multi-million dollar machines has a very specific job description.  From an attack stand point, a fighter jet is going to attack anything in the air.  From bombers, to radar craft, to other fighters, escorts, whatever.  That's their job.

Why not just use drones?  I think it comes down to a few things: situational awareness, latency, and overall investment.  As awesome and advanced as our computer systems are, our brains are just better at filtering data and making better decisions.  I mean, look at Tesla's Auto Drive system..  Even with a person behind a joystick, looking at data and projections and cameras, it won't be  the same as the butt in the seat.  

Also, think about latency.  That's the time it takes for a command to go from an input to an action.  Like in playing an online video game - your latency affects everyone else's game experience.  So modern gaming displays can translate input in 10-30 milliseconds.  And you're usually within a few feet of your display.  Change that to hundreds if not thousands of miles...  I just don't think that works.

Why is the US Air Force the best in the world?  'Cuz 'Murica?  Or because we spend so much money on not only the best tech, but the best possible training.  Putting the best tools in the hands of our best pilots is going to give you the best outcomes, even accounting for human error.  That's what tends to happen in any career or task - give the best trained/most skilled person the best tools for the job, and they will do an incredible job.

Sorry for the long treatise.  I'm not a pilot or military guy.  I'm just a dude who thinks too much, and tries to learn as much as I can.  Folks in the know are more than welcome to correct my idiotic mistakes and mischaracterizations!

[Panthers Fan 69]

Love the movie! Saw it a few times already in the theater. I thinks is better than the OG. They replace the cheese from the first one with heart in this one. Best movie since Endgame!

[Hugor Hill]

It really helps that Cruise and co. were actually flying in real planes and not relying on cgi to do the bulk of the work. I didnt even care to watch it but my wife convinced me to see it with her and I went in to watching it with the perception that it wasnt going to be any good, but man, let me tell you, after the movie was over I really thought it was one of the better movies that have come out in recent years.

[thefuzz]

On 6/27/2022 at 8:37 AM, Hugor Hill said:

It really helps that Cruise and co. were actually flying in real planes and not relying on cgi to do the bulk of the work. I didnt even care to watch it but my wife convinced me to see it with her and I went in to watching it with the perception that it wasnt going to be any good, but man, let me tell you, after the movie was over I really thought it was one of the better movies that have come out in recent years.

Agreed...just a really fun movie to watch.

 

[Anybodyhome]

Saw it yesterday. Was as cheesy as the original, except the effects were far better.

Anyone who served any time in the Navy understands just how far off some of this stuff was/is.

[CanadianCat]

it was a great movie. fun watch.