Quartile rating: 8/10 · 4 ratings
For Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell and his friend and co-pilot Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw, being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete's dreams of becoming an ace pilot.
Top Gun is a quintessential 80s blockbuster whose plot is fairly thin and formulaic — a cocky hotshot learns humility through tragedy and love, hitting familiar beats without much depth. The acting is serviceable to good, with Tom Cruise carrying the charisma but the supporting roles being fairly stock. Where the film genuinely excels is cinematography and aerial photography: the jet sequences are viscerally spectacular and still hold up as some of the best aviation footage ever captured for a feature film, earning a well-above-average mark. Novelty is modest — it perfected the glossy military recruitment-style action drama aesthetic and became hugely influential, but the story template is recycled hero-arc fare. The ending is satisfying but predictable, resolving on an expected triumphant note.