I was obsessed with this movie as a kid. I bought the soundtrack and wore out the cassette tape on my walkman, then bought the cd and when I lost it, (now in the internet age) I tracked down the songs and cobbled together another cd. Now it's a playlist on my RU-vid music. I can't do without it. It's still my go to.
I love this 80s gem of a movie, it’s right up there next to another unappreciated and overlooked movie from the 80s that I love, The Last Starfighter. Thank you for the fantastic review and look back, hopefully it’ll inspire many that have never watched Iron Eagle to search for it and enjoy it for what it is, a great 80s movie.
Love this movie, always have. The scene when Ted Masters is shot on the runway and Doug goes crazy is actually a bit emotional. David Suchet was such a great villain as the Libyan general/pilot.
You know, i watched this movie with my father about 50 times in the early 90s. He passed away in 2020, and by god i miss that man. But this movie really reminds me of the good times with my dad.
This movie was so under appreciated in its day. I remember watching it in the theater with my dad as a kid. When I got home that same day I built a F16 out of legos. It didn't really look like and F16 though. That plane has cemented a place in my heart because of that movie. Come on, one F16 single handed crippled a small country's entire military and economy!
Iron Eagle was one of my dad's favorite movies of all time. He and I watched it together often in the 80's. He'd often follow up some piece of information or advise with "I bed you thought you knew that, didn't you?" like Chappy said to Doug in the movie. We both watched and enjoyed the second movie but never saw the remaining ones in the franchise and the first movie was by far our favorite. It's unfortunate that it was overshadowed by Top Gun to the extent that it was. But then again Top Gun is legendary and made me want to fly F14's when I was a kid. Unfortunately by the time I was in high school they'd already almost completely phased the Tomcat out and I wasn't about to fly anything else. Looking back I should have gone into the Navy or Air Force anyway because the new hardware was, of course, far superior but you weren't going to tell 18 year old me that because I knew everything. It is what it is, lol. Anyways I love Iron Eagle. I think that if you love Top Gun then you'll enjoy this.
This movie changed my life. I first watched it when I was five years old, 39 now. My parents had invited a friend of theirs from Switzerland who brought me the movie as a gift along with a small Matchbox model of an F-16. From that moment on I have been hooked on aviation and military aircraft. It has become a passion in my life and I finally managed to get my pilots license last year and the first thing I did was go up by myself and listen to the Iron Eagle soundtrack. It was glorious! Thanks for making this video and helping me realize their are more fans out there who love this movie as much as me.
My uncle, now retired, used to be in the Air force and one time almost got me clearance to test fire the F-16's cannon. At the time, I was an airfoce enthusiast and knew everything about the jets, weapons and weapons platform.
When I was growing up, I preferred Iron Eagle to Top Gun. And I have watched Iron Eagle II more often than I would like to admit. Anyone else think Lou Gosset Junior is an extremely underrated actor?
Completely agreed. Gosset is one of those actors that no matter what type of movie he's cast in...he NEVER phones it in. I actually don't like Top Gun...Iron Eagle knows exactly what it is and runs with it. It's more fun movie to me than Top Gun.
Hell yeah. Idk why but I feel like when I die and finally meet god he is gonna look like Louis gossett Jr for some reason.i know it's weird but I always felt that way.
Love this 80's blockbuster, it has such an awesome feel good soundtrack, on a visual scale it's very cinematic with big action sequences, also tonally it just lifts your spirits but also has emotional stakes, just like the original Top Gun did.
I remember being obsessed with Iron Eagle. I loved the F-16. Inspired me to join the Air Force. However, I never worked the F-16, I maintained C-130s. I remember being super pumped to watch Iron Eagle 2 on VHS only to be like WTF after the first 5 minutes. They killed Doug?! I still watched it, but I was super bummed... Everyone needs to watch "Mover Ruins Movies" here on RU-vid.
I don’t care how cheesy or unlikely the plot is, I STILL love Iron Eagle. I loved it when I was five when it came out and love it now. Hell, I may even dare to say I enjoy it more than Top Gun due to the more action scenes and it was this movie that sparked my love of the F-16.
@@mach78fl370 . Not even close. I was born in 1979 so I grew up in the 80s and loved this movie as a small child up through the age of about 14. I liked Top Gun better but thought this was a great film in my mind. Now, looking back I realize how outrageously cheesy the movie was and impossible the plot was. Also, the cheesy "weapons display" you see in the cockpit showing the remaining missiles and bombs was so far removed from reality as well as the horrible editing that kept showing the wrong remaining weapons load that I can't help but laugh at it now. Through in the fact the whole plot is absolutely impossible in that a teenager whose father is a pilot just gets to fly F-16s and his friends who are Air Force brats can just go everywhere on the base including into classified areas to plan out the mission. Plus, he takes off from the US and supposedly makes it to the middle east with only refueling in air one time....The playing rock and roll in a walkman while flying a F16 you stole is beyond outrageous. I guess being older now and having served in the Marines makes me realize how corny it all is. While I was never involved in military aviation ( I was infantry ) I still realize how impossible all this is. The movie serves the purpose of being typical 80s military propaganda showcasing US military power like other 80s flicks like the Rambo Movies, Top Gun, Red Dawn, Invasion USA, The Final Countdown, etc and is good for brainless entertainment but that's about it.
Boy my 12 yr old self loved this movie. I would rent it from a place called videodrome. Running the snake was my favorite scene. Thanks for all the behind the scenes info. Great job
Hoowaaah! Watched this 3 weeks ago and still hasn't lost it's magic. I'm still the 80's kid where originality was king. Iron Eagle is the one that kept it's heart in the 80's and in it's fans. Just better than Top gun in my opinion because of... The love interest... Dragged down Top gun while lifting Iron Eagle because THIS IS WAR BABY, AND MY POP'S NEEDS ME, HE ONLY HAS 3 DAY, AND IF WE STAND HERE YAPPIN' WE'RE GONNA WASTE 1 OF THEM...slightly altered by me... This movie had me captivated by the United arts pegasus intro, I heard the theme from the other room an just knew what was being played, so I came running to watch it from start to finish as a 9 year old. Crappywood movies today can't hold my attention today for more than an hour in general, why is that I wonder? I believe the Iron Eagle soundtrack played it's part in making the film iconic compared to the sounds of Top Gun. And what about the love between a father and eldest son...with the wife/mother looking to said eldest to man up and be a responsible for the rest of the family. How could the eldest son look at his younger brother and sister growing up without their father, knowing he could have done something to save their pops. It means a bit more in my world than your friend dying in dog combat...Still sad though 😔 Final words...Iron Eagle is dramatic, is sad, is action, is thrilling, is thoughtful, is Top fun, is 80's nostalgia. Thanks for listening .
I was in the Air Force when this came out. Saw it with friends at the base theater. Of course, being servicemen, we knew the logistics were laughable, as there was no way a kid could get on the flight line; let alone get into an aircraft. But it was an entertaining film with a cool soundtrack
2 Betamaxes, 1 blank tape, 1 rented Iron Eagle = Years of watching Iron Eagle... must have seen in 30 times before I was 12. 🤣 Definitely was more into this than Top Gun... perhaps because of The Heavenly Kid. 🤔
Yeah, but Iron Eagle had Queen's awesome "One Vision" in it AND Louis Gossett Jr (awesome from "Officer and a Gentleman")! Thanks for reminding me about this; I just bought a down steamed copy!
Honestly if you want a fun dogfight movie, Iron Eagle and Iron Eagle 2 are actually just a bit more entertaining than Top Gun in my opinion. Top Gun's strength was its characters to be sure. But Top Gun: Maverick is the better movie I think, it was one of those rare sequels that improves on its original. Iron Eagle was just a sort of check-your-brain-at-the-door-and-sit-back action flick.
Yes I love this discount Top Gun movie growing up, liked the soundtrack too, also I like how the name Lou Gossett Jr's character after the real life General Chappie.
The movie was great to watch as a teenager at the '80s. A little simplistic at the way it things the military and air combat really works but it "speaks" in every teenage boy that loves aircrafts....
I was a latch key kid and home alone during summers. Had crappy vhs recording of iron Eagle. Watched it every afternoon for the entire summer. We didn't have cable at the time.
I really loved this movie when I was a kid. As I look back on it now, I realize how impressive the stunt flying in the Cessna 150 Aerobat (Doug's plane that he races against Natcher) really was. Art Scholl's death, later in Top Gun, was a real tragedy.
A great 80s time capsule this movie is! Love the soundtrack so much I periodically will start my car while cranking Adrenalin's Road of the Gypsy. Hi rewatch value for this!
I kind of hoped that Top Gun Maverick would feature a crossover between Top Gun (1986) and Iron Eagle. We could've witnessed Capt Doug Masters, Capt Matt Cooper and Maj Miles Pearce fly with the Top Gun pilots.
Wow! This is reminding me how much I miss Louis Gossett Jr! He was frikken BRILLIANT in Enemy Mine, among so many more illustrious movies. I first saw him as a kid in the mini series Roots. The original one in the 70s, of course.
The part where he does the tape play back pep talk "if your playing this, things didnt go to plan....your in a Iron Eagle..." - hey, great name for a film right ?
Jason Gerrick was just some kid who came to Hollywood and luckily enough got into movies pretty quickly. He starred in The Heavenly Kid, this and he followed this up with Rooftops, his last starring role. He turned into a supporting actor after that in Backdraft and more or less became a working actor in tv. His movie career seemed short but Gedrick made his mark in some incredible 80’s movies.
Yeah I’m surprised he wasn’t a bigger star because he was a decent actor & had the good looks to go with it. But at least he was in several big movies like Backdraft and Born on the 4th of July.
I’m not sure what his role in Born on the 4th of July was. May have just been almost like an extra in that one. He did have a nice little role in Backdraft. He was the overzealous new guy who unfortunately died. There was a movie that almost no one saw that was pretty good with him in it. It was called “Crossing the Bridge” with Stephen Baldwin. It was an indie that can out around 1993. I saw it in video back and was impressed with him in that. He plays a very aggressive character. So many careers in Hollywood seem to be based on whether the actor was in hit films. It’s also about youth.
I don't know how many times I rewound the "collection"(?) montage just so I could hear that minute and change of 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. Ahh the days before YT and Spotify when you got tunes any way you could. Would I do it all over again..? 😂 Also used to play video games the same way..with the radio on.
I loved this movie and still do. Really appreciate this video for the wealth of info. Also, that scene where Doug imitates Slappy's voice was and still is hilarious.
I've seen Iron Eagles as many times as Top guy and quite enjoyed both of them. I like the Iron Eagles soundtrack better and had it on either tape or record. The Cesna 152 he flies is still doing its thing as of 2023 ! Stall speed is 50 so it's going as slow as it can while that trail bike is maxed out. 🙂
Iron Eagle is second only to the original top gun movie! Changed and molded my life.. by the Grace of GOD i ended up getting my sing engine pilot license in 36hrs
I'm a former F-16 driver. Don't get me wrong. I love this movie. I've seen it many times over the years but the idea that a kid can be a fighter pilot after sneaking into the simulator and taking a few joyrides with his dad is ludicrous. I have to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy it, but I do enjoy it! I was the same age as the kids in the move and seeing people my age having pilots' licenses in it spurred me to go ahead and get my own later that same year.
Interestingly, the military objective of TOP GUN Maverick is actually quite similar to Iron Eagle II. Both films aim to take out a nuclear facility with close formation flying inside low level canyons.
This is the reason I couldn't get into Maverick. Of course Maverick is incredibly well made but I could not separate myself from that first movie. They even have teams with bad blood having to come together.
I like how in Top Gun Maverick they immediately address the F35 issue, some guy says at the start "Just send in the F35's" and they give a loose excuse "GPS doesn't work there so we cant send them" - lol
I loved this movie as a kid in the early 90s. I would put on my favorite cassette tapes while playing Pilotwings on my Super Nintendo pretending to be Doug Masters. The scene where Chappi and Doug are going through his Vietnam war album always hit me hard. Thanks for doing this
Both movies are great as are both soundtracks. Both sequels have basically the same plot by TOP Gun: Maverick's stunts and cinematography are the best ever filmed.
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!! I realize this is a low budget youth lead Top Gun but hey, I've watched this film, a lot. Respect. And I still put it's soundtrack up there as one of the best.
I can remember by the time the sequel came out and we would see some of the promotional commercials with Jason getrick in the commercials we were all pissed off and heartbroken that they had killed him off. As for the fourth film that's another story. Take a relook at that real close.
Other than they both have jets in them you really can't compare the 2 movies...different stories altogether... enjoyed this video...will be watching Iron Eagle probably tonight..
If I remember correctly. Iron Eagle actually had a bigger budget than Top Gun. It obviously wasn't utilized wisely. That being said. I still love the film for what it is, pure escapism with a decent soundtrack.
I used to love this movie as a kid, even though I wished that with the title Iron Eagle they would have used F15's. No issues with the F16, I just always thought it would have been great with the title.
"As good as Top Gun?" With drastically inferior aerial sequences (complete with the cheapest jump-cuts imaginable), an annoying soundtrack, whiny protagonist, and a far more preposterous scenario where a bratty little Marty Sue (with no air combat training) single-handedly destroys a nation's entire air force and cripples its military infrastructure, the answer is clearly "No."
I liked this movie when I saw it as a kid. It's problem it came out basically at the same era as Top Gun. Top Gun hit the 80s like a meteor. Today when people talk about the 1980s, eventually Top Gun will be a subject. So in this aspect, poor Iron Eagle gets buried. I also recall seeing that sequel where they kill off the main character of this movie. I was quite unhappy with that.
I thought this movie was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than Top Gun. I watched Top Gun years after hearing all the hype. After I watched it, I could only ask "that was it?" because it was so underwhelming. I expected epic battles against the Soviets, and I got perhaps the softest movie with fighter jets that could have possibly been conceived. I finally watched Iron Eagle today, and it was full of wonder, hope, action, adventure, and drama. Oh, and plenty of combat against, well, not the Soviets, but it didn't really matter. So what if I had to suspend disbelief regarding some of the more outlandish aspects of the movie? I already suspend disbelief when I watch pretty much everything else. I thought it was really great.
Iron Eagle may have been overshadowed by Top Gun in 1986, but it's equally good in its own way. While we're on the subject; for anyone who has seen Top Gun Maverick, go back and watch Iron Eagle 2. You will notice some striking similarities!
I LOOOOVED this movie as a kid. I've been wanting to rewatch it as an adult but was worried it would have lost its charm. But now, after watching this, it's time for a revisit!
One of the miniatures they used in this movie was an F16 that had a ducted fan with a piston engine. The guy that built it was a friend of my parents and had an RC hobby shop in my home town and that F16 was hung up in his store. I used to go there and look at it.
I love this movie. I would pick it over Top Gun all day every day. Yes you had to have a major suspension of disbelief, but once you started watching it was easy. A great, fun 80's movie.
I'd like to think this movie inspired the likes of Aleste 2 and Gley Lancer. Though in the former, it's about avenging the father while in the latter it's about saving the father. Oh, and both pilots were female also.
