By Harry Penwell
I was really hopeful that rewatching the original Top Gun in the cinema, with the magic of 4DX, would’ve raised it to the same level as Maverick.
Unfortunately, despite some great 4DX moments, particularly the jet launches and, remarkably, the spilling coffee, it can’t quite reach the heights of the sequel – a fact that is as remarkable now as it was in 2022.
But let’s put on our aviator sunglasses, crank up the 80s tunes, and take a trip into the Danger Zone!
Note: some spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick to follow.
Manic Manliness
Now, I’ve only seen Top Gun and Unstoppable from Tony Scott’s filmography, but if the rest are anything like these two, it’s fair to say that no one does it like him.
And there are elements of the direction, particularly with the opening aircraft carrier sequence, and some of the dogfighting, which work really well.
The ridiculous amount of macho manliness on display, even just in that first sequence, is remarkable and almost to the point of satire, even if the volleyball scene was shorter than I remembered, or than the board game suggested.
The whole film is a constant, ahem, “sword” fight. Everything said is dripping (and seriously, the film is a lot sweatier than I expected!) with intent and challenge. Even the much-joked-about tongue action in the sex scene is a duel. It all builds to the moment when Iceman says ‘You!’ with enough intensity that I was sure Maverick was going to kiss him just to break the tension.
Now, I don’t know if this has always been the feeling from the film, but after so much discussion around it, it’s definitely the overriding vibe now.
Layers of Cheese
However, it’s also interspersed with a degree of cheese that would make a lactose-intolerant person explode.
Some of it works! The ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin” scene was great, as was Goose’s self-deprecating (or closer to self-wounding) comedy, and some of the moments with James Tolkan’s cigar-chomping ‘Stinger’ were fantastic as well. ‘Your ego is writing cheques your body can’t cash’ is just a brilliant line.
Other moments didn’t work. Tolkan’s constant ‘goddamnit’s’ felt weak, and I’m sorry but ‘Take My Breath Away’, specifically the instrumental moments, now feels unbearably cheesy.
Who’s The Best Pilot?
The screenplay is still bizarre. I’ve got a list on Letterboxd called ‘Films that have you dropped into a world where there’s probably a story but it’s mostly just vibes’ in which Top Gun takes pride of place with films like Tron and the original Mad Max.
It feels like the film is going to have a fairly solid plot (who will be Top Gun?) until the moment where Goose dies (still rather emotional!), and it kind of collapses. It’s not that you can’t change the objective in the latter parts of a film, but Top Gun doesn’t feel like it’s convinced of its own change. Mainly because the dogfight against the enemy planes comes out of nowhere and feels a bit like they remembered they needed a climax.
Also, I know that Maverick is a dangerous risk-taker, but I do wish Iceman took a bit more responsibility for Goose’s death. I’m assuming it’s a bit of protagonist syndrome, but I must agree with Cruise’s character – if Iceman had gotten out the way earlier, then Maverick wouldn’t have gone through his jet wash and spun out.
And it is a shame they didn’t get Kelly McGillis back for the sequel, or at least reference her. At one point, I thought that it made sense because she disappears, but then she returns in the epilogue.
We could also have had reference to Maverick’s dad or Slider, as they were both more important than I remembered. But that’s a whole other question—how much should sequels, particularly legacy ones, feel beholden to the originals?
4(0)DX
Finally, I’m afraid that the 4DX wasn’t as good as it could’ve been. This is partially because the, admittedly gorgeous, dogfighting cinematography is much more focused on wide shots than I remember Maverick being, which doesn’t lend itself to 4DX.
Also, and I honestly don’t know how to solve this problem, but when we got to the sex scene, the 4DX just completely shut off. It’s not that I’d want it on during the scene! But maybe they should’ve shut it off slightly earlier so it didn’t feel so obvious?
However, I still giggled when the jets took off, and I was thrown about, and the drips on my hands when the coffee was spilt were remarkably immersive for so small an element.
See my Letterboxd list ‘An Extra Dimension – My Favourite 4DX Films‘ to find out where Top Gun placed!
After 2 Top Gun Articles, I’m Running Out of References For Headings
Overall, it’s about the vibe, right? Top Gun is pretty much all vibes, and when it works, it works well. But when it doesn’t, it struggles. Ultimately, this rewatch probably upped it by half a star thanks to the cinema effect and the good parts of the 4DX, but Maverick is the true Top Gun.
And that’s all! What do you think of Top Gun? What’s your favourite 4DX film? What are you doing to celebrate Top Gun‘s 40th anniversary? Let me know in the comments, and find the other adventures on DownUpJourney here. And be sure to check out my other writing here and more of my film reviews on Letterboxd!
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