It’s summertime and big budget movies are returning to theaters, including Top Gun: Maverick. It released two weeks ago and has already earned 292 million — making it the highest-grossing release of Tom Cruise’s career.
Back when the first Top Gun released, in May of 1986, I was finishing up my freshman year of high school. I used to go to the movies very often in those days with school friends or church friends. In my southern California hometown of Riverside, we saw a lot of movies both at the theater and thanks to the VHS tapes we rented from Blockbuster. We ate a lot of frozen yogurt. We listened to George Micheal or the Beastie Boys while driving around town.
I distinctly remember going to see Top Gun with my friend Carolyn at the Canyon Crest Towne Centre. It blew my mind.
When we exited the theater, Carolyn and I sat in the beautiful nighttime weather, people milling around us at the outdoor mall. We talked and raved and talked and raved about the movie. We both LOVED it and we couldn’t get over how much we loved it. The concept of a fighter pilot hero was so fresh and interesting. Somehow, the movie exactly fit the taste of many of the movie goers of that era, including us. Top Gun became iconic.
A few years ago, I wrote a romantic novella called Take a Chance on Me starring a fighter pilot hero. In large part, I was inspired to write a hero with that profession because High School Freshman Me never forgot Maverick and Iceman and Goose and the rest. In my novella, I even included a nod to the scene (pictured above) when Maverick serenades Charlie with “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” by The Righteous Brothers. If Top Gun: Maverick has whetted your appetite for more fighter pilot stories, I’m happy to report that Take a Chance on Me is free for download to your e-reader and $5.99 for the print version. Click here to get a peek at the plot and click here for buy links!
Thirty-six years have passed since the first Top Gun. Nowadays, two of my three kids are older than I was when I saw it with Carolyn at the Towne Centre.
This past weekend my husband and I, our kids, and my father-in-law went to see Top Gun: Maverick. And what do you know? I loved it again. This one is filled with nostalgia for the original — the music, the style of the opening and closing credits, the helmet, the motorcycle, an old Porsche, the San Diego setting, the leather jacket, etc, etc, etc. That said, you don’t just get nostalgia. You also get a gripping story. The plotting, the characters, the visuals, the tension — all strong.
It struck me, in a good way, as similar to the type of movies they used to make. It felt… classic. Once again, it seems Top Gun: Maverick is in sync with the taste of the movie goers of the era.
*Note that Common Sense Media recommends Top Gun:Maverick for families with kids 12+ in age. And Top Gun for kids 13+. Please be aware that there is language in both films.
Do you have memories surrounding the original Top Gun? Have you seen the new one? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Becky Wade
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Oh my goodness Becky, you have captured EXACTLY my story with this blog! (Except that I was a Junior in High School when it came out). I can practically quote the whole movie word for word as I watch it, I have seen it so many times! My husband and I saw Top Gun Maverick the first weekend it was out and I just couldn’t get over how well done it was. Enough references to the first movie to make “connections” and feel nostalgia but yet with a new story line that was so good in and of itself. I can’t wait until it comes out so I can watch it again and again and learn all the new lines – haha!
Tracy, I LOVE that you and I had such similar experiences! When writing this blog post, I hoped someone would relate. 🙂 And I agree, the story line of the new one is good in and of itself!
When I think about the original, it’s mostly how I watched with my now husband for the first time (I’d seen it years before). He is a military pilot and he pointed out all the places the flying was inaccurate. Eye opening.
The errors didn’t take away any enjoyment, and we both loved Maverick.
I’ll always be thankful to Willy for his generous help with Take a Chance on Me. It made all the difference to talk with him and receive his corrections/suggestions regarding the pilot scenes in the novella. Your feedback and insights were invaluable, too! I’m grateful to you both for giving of your time.
I cannot speak to the movies. I don’t remember a whole lot about the first one and haven’t seen the second one! But I can say that I just read “Take a Chance on Me” this week. And I loved it! It was so sweet from beginning to end! Thank you for writing lovely, yet meaningful stories. I also finished “Stay With Me” this week. I loved it too! Again, it was a fun story, yet you also provided thoughts to ponder, which I appreciate. And yes I am a little behind in the series! But now onto book 2. 😁
Bridget! I’m delighted to hear that you just read Take a Chance on Me and Stay with Me. Thank you so much!
I also loved the first Top Gun movie! My best friend and I saw it three times in one day. Going to see the new one on Monday….can’t wait!
Ahh! Seeing a movie three times in one day brings back memories of the times we used to buy tickets to a “double feature” and see two back-to-back. I’d forgotten all about that!
I might be in the minority, but the original Top Gun fell flat for me. I saw it for the first time very recently, and I’m super picky about sexual content and innuendo (for a PG rating, there was a surprising amount of it). After checking content for the new one at Pluggedin.com, my husband really wanted to see Top Gun:Maverick, so I went along. Wow!! The story line in the new one is super!! Plus, much less objectionable content and language issues.
I agree that the new one is cleaner than the first and that the story line is great. I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂
I am so glad to hear that someone else had a problem with the original one for the same reason!It’s good to know this one is cleaner.
Like you, I have memories surrounding seeing Top Gun in the theater. Jeff and I had dated long distance for a year, and that summer he’d come to Texas to live and work. We didn’t go out often (we were trying to save money to get married), but we went to see Top Gun. I remember the whole theater breaking out in applause and cheers when it ended. Can’t wait to see Top Gun:Maverick. I think we’re going this weekend!
“I remember the whole theater breaking out in applause and cheers when it ended.” What a great memory! It’s just that kind of story — it makes you want to applaud. (Many did so at Top Gun: Maverick, too!)
What great memories! I was a junior in college and my friends and I saw it on a weekend break from studying.
The romance and danger of the story captivated us. We talked about that movie for many days after.
I’d love to see the next installment, and hope to do so soon. Great things like Top Gun need to be enjoyed a second time around.
“The romance and danger of the story captivated us. We talked about that movie for many days after.” Precisely!! That’s the same reaction we had.
Loved the original (I was a bit older than you when it came out!) I loved that in Take A Chance On Me you included the bar singing scene!
but Top Gun:Macerick? Oh my word!That movie was amazing!
Got the audible version of Turn To Me and we are going to listen to it on our road trip to Texas next week!
Thanks for snagging the audio version of Turn to Me, Cindy! I hope it provides good company on the road trip. 🙂
Loved Top Gun and can’t wait to see the new one. Living in Virginia Beach since 1975, next to Oceana Master Jet Base, where many Top Gun graduates are based, it was an automatic hit. In fact, the husband of a teaching colleague was sent out west from here to become a Top Gun instructor.
Our daughter graduated from high school here in 1986, and now lives in Riverside County, CA. Her son is the one who is the same age as your youngest. He was 13 June 1st. Oh, and I just checked and found out I already have Take a Chance on Me – it will be my next read!
I hope you enjoy Take a Chance on Me! I loved hearing about your connection to the jet base and your daughter’s connections to me (both living in the county where I grew up and having a son the same age as my daughter). What cool overlap. 🙂
Loved Top Gun, so my husband and I rewatched it on TV this week (we weren’t married to each other when the first one came out). We plan to see the new one tonight. My friends that have seen it loved it, and it’s cool that the husbands and the wives love it. My husband was the back-seater (the Goose) in an F-4 when he was in the Air Force, so he can really experience the flight scenes.
I can well imagine that your husband has a personal connection to the flight scenes based on his background! And you raise a good point — the movie really does seem to appeal to men and women alike.
I loved the original and all but one person in my life has absolutely loved the new movie. One person said it was too much like the original. I haven’t seen it yet and need to make the time to do it. I saw the original with the boyfriend I had right before I met my husband. I can recall we saw the 3:00 show and could probably even pick out the seats we sat in (and I haven’t lived on that state for 30 years!)
Isn’t it amazing how some movie memories (like which seats you sat in) remain crystal clear? That was the same for me with the memories I shared about the first Top Gun. I think those memories live on for me because the movie made such an impact.
I think I enjoyed the second more than the original! You’re right, it had all the feels, nostalgia but also some good new plot elements. How good to see Val Kilmer make a return, and I loved the tough girl aspect too. And you’ve gotta love some 80s vibes, right?
RIGHT!!
We lived in Lemoore, California, where one of the naval air stations is located. My husband was the pastor of a local church and we had many pilots in our congregation. It was an up and personal look into the lives of those pilots flying the FA-18’s and they had many God sightings with miracles to share! Present in Lemoore during the Gulf War, emotional times, my husband accompanied a commander to a newly widowed wife’s home to tell her the news that her husband perished in his plane. They were members of our church, she was a young widow with two small children.
Our family also had the opportunity to be near a runway on base, where the FA-18’s practiced landing on a small “marked out” bit, the size of the aircraft carrier before they got to practice on the real thing. (It’s called bouncing, they land and touch their mark than take off again, very loud and exciting to witness). Image landing a plane, that looks like a dot in the ocean, when the sea is rolling with high waves and trying to line your plane up with that ever moving surface!
The “Fist of the Fleet” logo is out of Lemoore, CA and I was excited when Top Gun: Maverick movie mentioned that one of the characters was from that naval air station!
Loved – “Take a Chance on Me”!
Brenda, I loved reading about your connections to fighter pilots. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
You and I must be the same age! I watched the original Top Gun with my dad and my sister at a theater on the Air Force base where we lived so the military is in my blood. This soundtrack was THE soundtrack of my teenage years (I wore out that cassette in my Walkman!) and I was crazy excited when I heard the new movie was coming out. My sister drove six hours to watch this one with me and my dad and I think that made his whole year. Entering about the experience was fantastic!
How fabulous that you went to see this one with your sister and Dad. So special!
Oh my goodness, I have all the same thoughts! 💕 I’ve seen Top Gun so many times I can quote the movie. I saw it at a slumber party the first time. We saw Top Gun Maverick opening weekend and I LOVED it. I haven’t cried that much in a movie in a long time. Probably because of the tie-ins to the original and just the whole story. And the soundtrack! I’ve been listening to the original one quite a bit in the last couple weeks. My high schooler saw it and rated it top 5 movie of all time. And he hasn’t even seen the original. This coming from a Marvel and Star Wars devotee. 😊 Anyway, just a fantastic movie!
I’m so glad that you loved it too! My brother and sister and I watched the original Top Gun so many times that we can all recite the dialogue…like, ALL of it! And Maverick was excellent! I love how you mentioned that it feels like a classic because that’s exactly it.