Top Gun: A Tale of Two Mavericks

By Zach Smyers
HRNM Educator

The original Top Gun movie released by Paramount Pictures in 1986 was the highest-grossing film of that year with a domestic gross of $177 million. In addition, the song “Danger Zone” was a hit for musician Kenny Loggins, reaching number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. The film starred Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Anthony Edwards and brought to movie audiences such memorable lines as, “I feel the need…the need for speed!” and “You can be my wingman!” The story focused on a group of young, cocky U.S. Navy aviators attending the Navy’s Fighter Weapons School, or “Top Gun,” during the Cold War. The Navy created the school during the Vietnam War to teach pilots how to dogfight properly. During the Vietnam War, the Navy’s aircraft kill ratio (the number of enemy aircraft shot down for each U.S. Navy aircraft lost) had declined in comparison to the kill ratio during the Korean War. The school, using instructors as aggressor force pilots, puts incoming student pilots to the test, pushing their aircraft to the limits. The school’s overall goal is to teach pilots survival and success in aerial combat.

Tom Cruise as LT Pete Mitchell in Top Gun

The producers of the original Top Gun film spared no expense in making the audience feel like they were part of the action taking place on the big screen. They used real U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats, as well as many active duty Sailors as background extras. Several Top Gun instructors were film consultants and also flew many of the aircraft, which resulted in realistic flight scenes and praise from film critics. With the success of the first Top Gun film, a sequel was discussed with Tom Cruise returning as his character “Maverick” and Tony Scott as director. Unfortunately, the proposed sequel was put on hold when director Tony Scott committed suicide on August 19, 2012. This tragic event left fans of the original film wondering if there ever would be a sequel.

Maverick and Goose in the air during Top Gun school

Thirty-six years later, the wait was over. Top Gun: Maverick opened on May 27, 2022. The big question for most moviegoers was, “How will this film compare to the original?” Following the same formula as the first film, the opening scene is a montage of flight operations taking place on a real U.S. Navy aircraft carrier with the song “Danger Zone” playing in the background. Then the audience is transported to Modesto, California, where Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is still in the Navy. He now holds the rank of captain and is working as a test pilot. After an incident with the experimental aircraft that he’s flying, Maverick is standing tall before a two-star admiral (played by Ed Harris), who reviews Maverick’s service record, pointing out his many accomplishments as a naval aviator. The admiral also points out that at this point in his career, Maverick should also be an admiral, but he insists on continuing to fly and refusing to retire. Based on the admiral’s tone, things aren’t looking great for Maverick, but then instead of being punished for his latest antics, Maverick learns that he’s being recalled to Top Gun.

Tom Cruise as Captain Pete Mitchell

Maverick makes the journey to “Fighter Town USA” in San Diego, California (even though the real Top Gun school moved to Fallon, Nevada, many years ago). Upon checking into the command, he learns he’s been personally requested at Top Gun by his old rival and now good friend “Ice Man,” once again played by Val Kilmer. Maverick is informed that his objective is to teach a team of younger Top Gun graduates how to carry out a mission deemed nearly impossible. In this capacity, Maverick takes on a role similar to Tom Skerritt’s character, “Viper,” in the original film, as he becomes a teacher and mentor to the younger group of pilots. To add an additional level of drama to Maverick’s tasking, one of the pilots he’s being asked to train is the son of “Goose,” Maverick’s best friend, who was killed during training in the original film.

Jennifer Connelly as Penny, Maverick's love interest in Top Gun: Maverick

With the purpose of Maverick returning to the Top Gun school revealed and the younger generation of pilots introduced, the question remains…will this formula for the sequel work? The answer is yes! As one of the producers of the film and a pilot himself, Tom Cruise insisted on keeping things as realistic as possible regarding the flying sequences. This led to limited use of green screens. The actors playing the pilots went through a three-month course developed by Cruise to learn how to deal with G-forces while riding in the backseat of an F-18. One reason the flying scenes look so real is because the actors are actually flying. In addition to being in the back seat of a real Navy F-18, the actors also had to operate the camera that was mounted in the cockpit and check the lighting, their makeup, and the sound. The hard work and dedication of the actors results in realistic flight scenes.

Tom Cruise in the cockpit with special cameras designed by Sony

While the flight scenes are extremely well done, one of the most touching scenes in the film is when Maverick goes to visit Ice Man. Once his rival, Ice Man is now a three-star admiral. He summons Maverick to his home to discuss the pilots and their training for the upcoming mission. What makes this scene unique is the fact that Val Kilmer can no longer speak due to throat cancer, so the interaction has Maverick talking and Ice Man responding by typing on a computer screen. The chemistry between the two characters is what makes this interaction so powerful. Even with limited conversation, this scene demonstrates the strength of their friendship (in real life, Cruise and Kilmer have remained friends since 1986).

Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise in the original Top Gun 

With elements of a classic western (the old and wise gunslinger being asked for help one last time) and Star Wars (the mission and how Maverick teaches the young pilots to complete it), Top Gun: Maverick is an entertaining and well-made sequel. Aviation enthusiasts will appreciate the attention to detail that was put into the flight scenes, as well as Tom Cruise flying his personal P-51 Mustang. Much like the original, the film was well-received by audiences and film critics. Top Gun: Maverick ended up being a successful sequel and in the difficult time of the global pandemic, helped bring moviegoers back to theaters.

Tom Cruise's personal P-51 Mustang