FWIS3

Anybody see it? Any comments, opinions?

So no one I guess...
Saw it last week. When I first heard of it 3 years ago, I thought, Oh boy. Then continued to think that until I saw it. Every review I read or heard they loved it. It was as cheesy and predictable as I thought it would be. And I loved it. What was even more fun was all the youtube videos and articles I watched and read with actual Top Gun instructor pilots who pick the movie apart for all the inaccuracies and then still love it. The actors underwent safety and flying training before filming in actual high performance aircraft. Two of the cast members went on to get their private pilot licenses.

My dad has! He liked it better than the first one. That's what I'm hearing all around. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
[dammit, maybe that's where he got covid....]

I have a special affinity for Top Gun. I was 10 when it came out, and I am pretty sure I saw it in the theater because we didn't have a VCR yet. Tom Cruise was one of my first celebrity crushes. Of particular interest is we share a birthday, July 3!

When I worked at the planetarium in Maryland, we had a visit with the crew of the shuttle mission that repaired Hubble. The commander told the story about how he was the "stunt middle finger" for Maverick.

I'll probably wait until streaming/disk to see it. Movie theaters just aren't a priority right now!

Here's what I wrote as a review:

Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - 4 of 5 stars

A thirty-six years later sequel to the immensely popular Top Gun, Maverick delivers what you might expect, and if you're paying to see the movie, what you want. Tom Cruise acting the, well, maverick and lots of fighter jet action. The plot is superfluous, which is good because as in the 1986 movie, it's pretty flimsy. Other than Cruise and co-star Jennifer Connelly, the cast is superfluous as well. Most of the characters are predictable role players. I'm not sure why they needed Ed Harris (who has a throwaway role well beneath his talent). Val Kilmer's reprise (Iceman, now an admiral) is just painful to watch. In the end, it's all about the jets and Tom Cruise, which was enough for me to award 4 stars.

I didn't see it in IMAX which I imagine would amp up the experience quite a bit.

By the way, I'm aware of Kilmer's medical condition (lost his voice from cancer). His inclusion in the cast of Top Gun: Maverick is commendable and deserved. I just found it personally uncomfortable to watch. That's on me, I suppose.

I will probably give it a solo viewing when it comes out on video. Brite is not a Tom Cruise fan and didn't like the first one. OTOH I enjoyed the first one so I am expecting i will enjoy the sequel.

I only saw the trailer. The money quotes... one was fun, the other one? too watered down

Fun quote:
Admiral what's his name: "Thirty plus years of service, combat medals, citations... Only man to shoot down three enemy planes in the last forty years. Yet you can't get a promotion, you won't retire, despite your best efforts, you refuse to die. You should be at least a two-star admiral by now... Yet, here you are: Captain... Why is that?"

Old bastard that is still too cocky for his own good: "It's one of life's mysteries Sir."

Watered down quote:

Admiral what's his name: "The end is inevitable Maverick. Your kind is headed for extinction."
Old cocky bastard pretending to be a war weary, wise-man-who has seen it all: "Maybe so Sir. But not today".

If he wants to play that part, the proper answer should be: "Correction Sir: My kind IS extinct. That's why you need me"

I'll see it when it comes out on cable.

Gonna see if we can catch it in the nearby drive-in theater. Just really strikes me as a drive-in kind of movie!

O that’s right! We saw the original at a drive-in in Colorado. Alien, too.

Did manage to see it two weekends ago but forgot to mention it. And honestly, we were just really enjoying how fun it was and a classic summer popcorn movie. I feel like too many of this genre of movies are just bad these days so it was really delightful to just have a straightforward movie and plot for what you want. (Well, except they really could have played Danger Zone a few more times.)

The only funny part was we went in wondering what country would be the bad guys... and then they just solved that issue by never mentioning the nation, just saying "The Enemy." I guess that's convenient!

Also. Why did Tom Cruise have to come on screen for a moment to welcome us to the movie? That was a little weird.