Yeah, I Went. I Saw. And of Course I Liked…

Posted by Maggie on  in From the editors

The China plague two-year delay is finally over, folks.
“Top Gun: Maverick” finally hit the movie complexes this weekend, and I got into a matinee yesterday afternoon.

I really won’t give a movie review here but husband and I went to see the new Tom Cruise sequel “Top Gun: Maverick”. I want you to experience it the way we did, and have your own thoughts and discoveries with it. I’ll just say a few things:

1. It didn’t disappoint and it was action and adventure packed with jets, not the redundant comic book tights and capes.

2. The tech and air action far surpasses the first “Top Gun” that thrilled us in the 1980s, and the human dramas are a bit more complex and obviously mature. This is a fully matured ‘Maverick’ nearing the end of his enormously distinguished, decorated, and accomplished career, but not higher ranked due to his maverick nature … “You should be atleast a two star admiral by now or a senator, yet, here you are…”. He’s an now an aged lone wolf orphan with no personal attachments. He is a highly experienced test pilot of modern fighter jet technology, and we find him not really in a self-serving manner to save the current test program he’s heading (on an admiral’s chopping block to be replaced with his unmanned technology project) but in order to save the program’s jobs for all those involved that have been working with him. You knew throughout the movie that this was a man that was seeing his youth in the new generation of cocky, too self-assured, ego-bloated … but untested top Navy aviators. And their lives were now in his hands … including one pilot in particular. Yes, the “reviewers’” complain of the similarities between this movie and the original, so what. However, keep in mind that it is the reality of redundancy that is indeed a continuing success builder in our military generation after generation. It’s the older generation, as with ‘Maverick’, that can see themself in the younger generation and try to keep them from making obvious mistakes from their lack of experience.

3. I’m not formally reviewing this movie because some of what I’m reading this morning in ‘professional’ reviews are basically political hack, ‘sophisticated vaxxed’ unmasked ‘noses out of joint’ bullshit. One of The New Yorker reviewers was the worst. He apparently doesn’t like the idea of making and viewing Hollywood movies for, you know, entertainment and escape value in an over stressful world, not the least of which is the inflated box office (electronic) ticket prices compared to the ticket prices 30+ years ago when the first “Top Gun” hit the big screens. Yeah, it has a strong thread of nostalgia throughout, and that is primarily what the SJW, erase American history ‘theorist’ movie critics really don’t like. So, if you liked the first movie you’ll more than enjoy the sequel. Just leave the bloated know-it-all pesky desk jockey reviews behind and listen to the public/consumers/friends who are going and seeing it and who are the real reviewers of these things. The actual paid MSM reviewers’ batting record on what they themselves like and don’t like is quite the opposite of everyone else who pays to see these things. And this was pretty much a Tom Cruise project that he himself had the foresight and his finger on the pulse of entertainment hungry Americans who are sick of cartoon and comic book characters being revamped to live action imagery loaded down with CGI … and reimagined costumes, characters’ gender swaps and ‘outed’ sexuality, and heavy with political/activist preachy undertones. Spare us. The maligned ‘boomer generation’ will love the movie and not mind so much the 21st century ticket price (formerly known as a ‘splurge’), especially if it’s a theater with recliners, beer and eats. Which brings me to this strong advice…

4. Be careful how much liquid you drink before and during the movie. It’s around 2 hours and 15 minutes long, not counting the 15 minutes of previews ahead of it. And hit the head before the movie starts. The last hour or more of the movie was a struggle with bladder resistance for me. And I saw several attendees around my age and older getting up for the trip to the restroom. But of course this primarily hits in the climax of action in these movies. I found myself wishing for a pause button on my recliner. Heh!!! Typically I give the hundreds of contributors behind the movie scenes their props by sitting through the credits roll at the end of movies. But I just couldn’t yesterday. Ugh…

All that said, my 16+ year old Grandson Mickey and his buddies are huge fans of the first “Top Gun” movie and will be blown away by the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick”.

Footnote…

Hollywood has been struggling with public disinterest and rejection of the movie offerings coming out of the entertainment industry, even way before the COVID era. Most people were never interested in the lopsided-one-sided politicized, preachy, scolding, ‘teachable moments’ fare from the drinks, drugs, and debauchery, self-important, limo-lib elite community. All you need as primary examples is look at the mega interest in Netflix’s highly rated “Cobra Kai” spin-off series of the 1980s “The Karate Kid” movies based on the main characters and their lives 30 years later. It was a far different mentality and values society during the Reagan era that we sure as Hell could use quite a bit of all these decades later. As well as this “Top Gun: Maverick” movie.

Yahoo News: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ expected to be major box-office hit

Tracy Wright: Tom Cruise says ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ was ‘never’ going to streaming service: Cruise would ‘never’ let ‘Maverick’ stream … Has to be first-viewed on the big screen.

Landon Mion: NEED FOR SPEED – ‘Top Gun’ studio borrowed Navy fighter jets for $11K an hour, but actor Tom Cruise was not allowed to touch controls and had to take backseat: Cruise started his own flight training program to prepare the film’s actors for their roles

Janelle Ash: ULTIMATE WINGMAN – Kenny Loggins talks ‘Danger Zone’ and meeting Tom Cruise for the first time … The singer shared that star Tom Cruise said ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ wouldn’t be the same without ‘Danger Zone’

A great extended video but too many spoiler footages, so, bypass if you don’t like spoilers…

~~~

~~Many thanks to Maggie and The Universal Spectator for reprint permission.

Posted by Maggie on May 28, 2022 in From the editors The China plague two-year delay is finally over, folks.“Top Gun: Maverick” finally hit the movie complexes this weekend, and I got into a matinee yesterday afternoon. I really won’t give a movie review here but husband and I went to see the new Tom Cruise sequel “Top Gun: Maverick”. I want you…

Posted by Maggie on May 28, 2022 in From the editors The China plague two-year delay is finally over, folks.“Top Gun: Maverick” finally hit the movie complexes this weekend, and I got into a matinee yesterday afternoon. I really won’t give a movie review here but husband and I went to see the new Tom Cruise sequel “Top Gun: Maverick”. I want you…