Let's get this out of the way right from the start. In 1986, I went to the theater to see the original Top Gun. I thought the movie was terrible and hated Tom Cruise. Not only was the movie too long. but my IQ went down as I watched it. My friend Mike G, whom I went to see the movie with, left the movie drooling and stated "I know what I want to do with my life." A few months later he joined the Air Force and moved away, I never talked to him again. Since he only lived a few houses down from my parents, my understanding is that he is now retired from the Air Force.
I thought Top Gun was simply an expensive, and formulaic, recruiting tool in film form. My friend Mike ultimately proved me right. I never understood the allure of Top Gun, even though I would learn not to hate Tom Cruise in the Mission Impossible movies.
But my goodness, the love for the new Top Gun Sequel is inexplicable.
Top Gun Should be a Safe Place for Man-Tears - The Daily Mail
Top Gun Maverick is the Patriotic Movie we Needed - Audacy
Top Gun Maverick and why we need Patriotic Militarism - Washington Examiner
Top Gun Maverick is Awesome - Detroit News
Top Gun Maverick is Nostalgia for American Greatness - The Federalist
Top Gun Maverick: The Greatest Sequel of All Time - The Blast
Stop, stop, stop. First of all Evil Dead 2 was the greatest sequel of all time. Second of all, and more importantly, Top Gun Maverick is everything that's WRONG with America.
How do I figure if I haven't seen it yet? I'm glad you asked.
My well documented favorite movie of all time is Clerks. Coincidentally, Clerks III is coming out this summer.
The Clerks Franchise is centered around the friendship of Clerks Dante and Randall (O'Halloran and Anderson.)
Let's look at the returning characters in the Clerks 3 Cast:
Brian O'Halloran (Clerks I & II)
Jeff Anderson (Clerks I & II)
Kevin Smith (Clerks I & II)
Jason Mews (Clerks I & II)
Rosario Dawson (Clerks II)
Trevor Fehrman (Clerks II)
Marilyn Ghigliotti (Clerks I)
Scott Schiaffo (Clerks I)
The only primary cast member who's not returning from the first 2 movies is Lisa Spoonauer, who passed away in 2017. At its core, Clerks is about human relationships.
Now let's check out Maverick. Who's back for the Top Gun sequel?
Tom Cruise
Val Kilmer (Kilmer had to beg to be in the Top Gun Sequel - Yahoo!)
Who wasn't invited back:
Kelly McGillis (Too Old and Fat - BroBible)
Tom Skerritt
Michael Ironside
John Stockwell
Tim Robbins
Meg Ryan
Whip Hubley
Rick Rossovich
Barry Tubb
And then there's this:
Why Kenny Loggins' new Danger Zone was cut from Top Gun Maverick - NY Post
The message of Maverick? Aging actors are mostly disposable and the beautiful people are props. Tom Cruise is basically an ageless cult member. The real stars of the franchise are apparently cinema savant Tom Cruise, the planes, and the cinematography.
Don't get me wrong, there's a niche in American Culture for movies like Top Gun and Iron Eagle, just don't tell me they're an allegory for America....unless you mean it in a derogatory manner.
There, I feel better now.