A few of us walked into that multiplex and found ourselves excited in ways our peers may not have been. It was a big, sweaty phenomenon.īut Top Gun holds an entirely separate place in some of our hearts. Top Gun blew all the hell up in the summer of '86 for a variety of reasons: the Reagan-era jingoism, Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” the absolute incandescence of a young Tom Cruise. The original Top Gun is about a bunch of people who know how to fly very sophisticated fighter jets but have not yet determined that they can wipe sweat off their own faces with even ordinary paper towels. This weekend sees the release of Top Gun: Maverick, the long-awaited follow-up to the 1986 blockbuster, and while the movie did not necessarily need (the need for speed!) a sequel, I am ready.
