For pilots, aviation fans and those who love them, the summer of 2022 will probably be the season of Top Gun: Maverick.
Top Gun: Maverick opened nationwide on May 27, delivering epic flight scenes. The butt-frowning flight sequences included in the sequel to Superior gunmore than three decades in the making, was made possible by the creation of the Cinejet, a purpose-built aerial camera platform based on an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, as well as the Embraer Phenom 300 and Airbus AStar used as aerial photo platforms.
Less than a month after its release, the film has grossed $402 million and counting, earning it the accolade of highest-grossing film of the year, according to Deadlinea Hollywood news site.
The financial success, it seems, is that for most viewers, the film’s script contains a bit of everything: love, loss, regret, reflection, conflict, as well as planes, aileron rolls and afterburner.
For a movie buff, however, Top Gun: Maverick was a “two-hour monstrosity”.
In a nearly 750-word review on the Letterboxd social network, reviewer “Brett” gave the film half one out of five stars. According to the site’s profile, Brett has watched 1,565 movies, including at least 26 he’s rewatched so far this year. The film chapped his butt so much that he said it fell short of the 1.5 stars he gave the 2019 Hollywood production. Cats (which, okay, fair enough) and with the same disdain as the horribly racist 1915 film, The birth of a nation.
“While one can overlook the furiously bloodthirsty nature of this movie, it’s still absolute garbage,” Brett said of maverick. “The moral of this story is, and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest: soldiers should ignore orders to stand down, and you should act without thinking about it. Our heroes follow these lessons throughout the story and It’s a child’s understanding of bravery and honor, covered in thick layers of some of the most painfully sentimental sludge Hollywood has ever produced.
Brett disputed his interpretation of the plot: “a bombing of an Iranian nuclear facility nearing completion.” It was a story that contrasted with reality, Brett said, and would have prepared Tom Cruise and company for what he considered an “unlawful and unconstitutional act of war.”
The film’s politics shouldn’t be ignored, Brett added.
“This is not a fun blockbuster or escapist fantasy, but a clear and unequivocal celebration of American militarism,” he said.
“Top Gun: Maverick is a 131 minute long advertisement for death,” Brett concluded. “Aggressively unoriginal, wildly irresponsible with its messages, historically revisionist… It’s a masterpiece of propaganda in defense of some of our nation’s worst traits, and it’s a huge success,” said Brett. “I left the theater depressed and hopeless.”
In the deluge of reviews, however, one aspect of the film was spared from Brett’s barbs: the soundtrack.
The 1986 Superior gun The soundtrack, which included generational hits from Berlin and Kenny Loggins, continues to evoke emotion among the pilot set. (FLYING curated a list of special songs from the soundtracks of Superior gun and Top Gun: Maverickas well as music that celebrates the aircraft and the unique characters of both films.)
Are Brett’s criticisms justified? We want to hear from you.