FYI, Danger Zone and Take My Breath Away aren't just big '80s songs that they used in Top Gun: they were both written specifically for the Top Gun soundtrack. Not only did this movie make them both chart-topping hits (one made it to #1 on the charts, the other to #2), they wouldn't even exist without this movie.
Fun fact: all of the actors who played pilots were taken up in actual Tomcats so that they would know how it felt. Anthony Edwards (Goose) was the only one who didn't throw up.
another fun fact, University of Nebraska at Lincoln president Ted Carter was an actual student at top gun when this was filmed and was ordered to show tom cruise around the first day, His call sign was slap shot because while at the navel academy he played hockey.
As for what happens to Goose, that is an actual, freak-thing that can happen. If the plane is in a flat spin, there's little to no forward momentum, so there's almost no slipstream over the plane to clear away the canopy during ejection. It was, of course, dramatized. In real life they would "simply" manually jettison the canopy, give it a second or two to clear, then eject. I believe that's actually in the F-14s emergency checklists. The whole "I can't reach the ejection handle" is also Hollywood BS, as that particular ejection seat system actually has both an upper and lower handle. The "main character", the F-14, is no longer in use by the Navy, it was replaced in 2006 by more F-18s. Iran still has some, but due to sanctions (meaning no parts and no technical support), it's anyone's guess if any are still flying. They cannibalized a lot of them to keep some in the air, but those things are over 30 years old at this point, so likely none remain flying. Fuel efficiency was, for what it was at the time, pretty good, due to the variable wings. Depending of course, on how and where it's flown. Hot air makes it worse, afterburners make it MUCH worse. At low level, with full afterburner, a jet like that can guzzle up all it's gas well inside 10 minutes. They're usually flown with additional, external drop-tanks and of course, are frequently air-refueled.
Actually, on a flat spin, G-forces are stronger on the pilot seat, as he’s further away from the center of gravity. The RIO has to be the one calling ejection. You might want to listen to the “Fighter Pilot Podcast” or the “F-14 Tomcast”, where actual US Navy pilots (some were Top Gun movie advisors) discuss this and other movie details. In one case, a pilot killed himself as G-forces on a flat spin prevented him from reaching the ejection handles, while flying with no RIO.
No replacement yet to F-18s , when F-22 tail is too long , hits the deck on aircraft carrier and F-35 is a fire hazard , USA still rent F-35s to UK Aircraft carrier . So that was $2,5 trillion wasted and maybe this new plane , they have started planning will replace F-18s , after using $4 trillion , the other side of the coin . We were following Navy pilots , then there are Army pilots , only thing USA had during WW 2 . US air force came after WW 2 , September 1947 . Finland Air force was founded 6 March 1918 , RAF was founded 1 April 1918 , take that brits and smoke it 🙂
@@pete_lind a great movie, that many seemed to have missed, which deals with military waste and inefficiency, is "The Pentagon Wars". It deals hilariously with how the military developed the Bradley Tank... err, Personnel Carrier... um, well, let's just call it the Bradley. Lol.
Nah. This issue was actually fixed before this movie was even released. There's a cross bar across the top that would physically prevent someone from slamming their head on anything. Easy fix that should've been done from the start.
@@LaserWombat Forbes Feb 2021 ... The U.S. Air Force Just Admitted The F-35 Stealth Fighter Has Failed ... its was going to replace F16s and A-10s ... With a sticker price of around $100 million per plane, including the engine, the F-35 is expensive. While stealthy and brimming with high-tech sensors, it’s also maintenance-intensive, buggy and unreliable. “The F-35 is not a low-cost, lightweight fighter,” said Dan Ward, a former Air Force program manager.
Also, if you want to see a fantastic movie with Kelly McGillis and Harrison Ford, watch 'Witness'. It came out a year before 'Top Gun' and it's a great film, start to finish.
Since you asked, the Navy charged Tony Scott/Top Gun financiers $1.8 million dollars for the use of its' planes, ships, etc. used during the filming of Top Gun. And yes, the U.S. military do allow access to military equipment/installations/etc., but only if they feel the movie will bring positive attention. Also, apparently Tony Scott wasn't able to get a shot of one of the 2 aircraft carriers featured in the movie finished with the natural lighting he wanted due to a course change...so he asked the Navy powers that be how much it would cost him to rent said carrier for 1 minute. $25,000 was the answer, and he supposedly wrote a check for that amount immediately and gave it to the carrier fleet Admiral, and directed him to turn the floating mammoth back around in order to get the shot he wanted.
I think that number may inflation adjusted. I thought the number in mid-80s dollars was below $1 million. The Navy was still gving a heavy discount as I recall, the studio was charged maybe only 60% of the actual operating costs of those flights. The F-14 was an expensive plane to operate.
From what I remembered about the making of this movie they had pilots performing maneuvers within camera range and they shot several stock shots from 2-3 different aircraft that were recycled, flipped and shown from different angles to keep costs low. In the new Top Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise forced them to actually train him to fl;y so they could get some breathtaking shots of him actually reacting to Inertia... he insisted on it in his contract along with his normal request to be filmed on a Motorcycle that accompanies nearly all movies he is in.
@@Jay-ate-a-bug Cruise is not flying any of the planes in either movie. He is riding in real planes, so the g-forces are real, but he is not piloting anything.
To answer your question, Maverick would have been thrown out of the military faster than you can say Scientology. Breaks too many lawful orders and is a menace. lol. That flyby 10 minutes into the movie would have been enough to give him the boot.
Very true,, some of those stunts Maverick pulled could've landed him in prison actually, they were pretty serious and would be regarded as a blatantly reckless use of dangerous equipment
Simone - Your intros are the best. I love how you try to hold it together, start to giggle and then just stop and smile with a long pause and wait for George to come in with a rescue attempt.
The primary aircraft in the movie, the F-14 was retired by the Navy in 2006 and those squadrons converted to flying F-18E's. Yes, when he ejected Goose hit the canopy. There was a real incident where this happened and they modified the ejection sequence to prevent it.
Yes, the US Navy cooperated extensively with this production, and the end result was basically a recruiting ad for Naval Aviation. The combat sequences against the "MiGs" were _very_ loosely based on an actual series of engagements against Libyan aircraft in the 1980s, known as the Gulf of Sidra Incidents. The United States no longer uses the F-14 Tomcat in front line service; it was retired in 2006, having been replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet. F-14s remain in use by Iran, who purchased a batch before the Iranian Revolution and have managed to keep a few operational to this day. Veteran pilot Art Scholl was killed while filming footage for the flat spin which killed Goose in the movie; he went into the spin but was unable to recover before crashing into the Pacific Ocean.
@@mokane86 I think I recall hearing that some of the footage looking out of the canopy was from his flying, but I honestly don't know. The exterior shots of the F-14 spinning were done using a model.
@@Harv72b Incidentally - if you're a Mythbusters fan - Jaime Hyneman bought the M5 Industries special effects shop in the mid 90s. He didn't create it out of whole cloth. And though he and his crew did indeed do a lot of work in special effects, the previous owner of the shop was producing effects in the 80s. And - it was THAT previous owner that did the model special effects for the damaged planes in Top Gun. Hyneman kept those models in their displays on the walls (he liked them) and if you watch enough of the Mythbusters series and pay close attention when they are in the M5 shop making stuff - you will occasionally spot those models on the walls - depending on the camera angle etc. So if you've seen those models before and wondered about them - yes - it's true. They are indeed from Top Gun.
The accident that killed Goose was a combination of several things. 1) Maverick, who was flying very close to Iceman flew right through the jet wash of Iceman's plane when he decided to disengage. This caused the starboard (right side) engine of Maverick's plane to stall and flameout. Unfortunately if you have a flameout in an F-14, the thrust from the other engine (which is spaced far apart on the F-14) is going to cause you to yaw (or turn) in the opposite direction. If the yaw is severe enough, it could cause a disruption of airflow into that other engine, causing you to lose both engines. They didn't portray it exactly correct here, but that's the general idea they were going for. 2) Maverick now has no engine power and he's in a flat spin, which means its impossible for him to recover the aircraft. But a flat spin causes g forces such that the further away you are from the center of gravity, the stronger the effect. In this case, Maverick was pinned forward and unable to initiate ejection. Goose being the rear seater experienced slightly less g's because he's closer to the center of gravity, so he had to be the one to initiate ejection. That's not so much part of the problem, just something to note. 3) The ejection system of the F-14 is such that explosive bolts blow the canopy (top door) away and then the ejection system initiates about a second or so after the canopy is gone. But the typical ejection occurs when the aircraft has some forward velocity, meaning that the canopy has time to clear the aircraft before the pilots eject. The problem here is that they were in a flat spin, which means they have very little forward motion to clear the canopy (which is now directly above them). Goose impacted the canopy directly after ejection at a speed great enough to break his neck and fracture his skull. This scenario is highly unlikely and to my knowledge has never actually happened before (at least not all of those things at the same time). However, based on the design of the F-14 (construction of the engines, ejection system, flight characteristics) this type of accident was totally possible.
Not sure if y'all noticed, but Cougar's Radar Intercept Officer, (RIO), is played by Tim Robbins. And Mav's RIO after Goose died, is Clarence Gilyard, Jr. He played Theo, the bad guys' computer hacker in the original "Die Hard" movie.
The panes used at the Top Gun school were, as a result of Vietnam War experience, chosen to be the closest they could get to opposing aircraft performance. So the A-4N's the instructors are shown flying simulated Mig -17's and Mig-19s
and the F-5F's shown as 'Enemy' aircraft in the combat scenes simulated Mig - 21's. Those were in widespread use around the world at the time. They would be using different planes now, to simulate current threats. Training against other American aircraft was seen as one reason air to air combat over North Vietnam had been disturbingly even-sided. It got the American pilots used to countering larger American planes like the F-4, which were visible from 20 miles because of ta thick smoke trail that the Russian engines on the MIg's did not produce. The North Vietnamese Migs were not visible until they were 1000 metres or so away, which is too close to use missiles, and the F-4's did not get a gun armament until 1972. They are closer in the movie because camera/optical issues make realistic air combat filming impossible.
Someone stated already that the F-14 is officially decommissioned for the US Navy. Current, active fighter aircraft is the F18 Super hornet and, if I'm not mistaken, the F35 Lightening II (still in production phase). There are F16s and F18s still used for training purposes.
"there is a bit of homoerotic undertone in this." There is a scene in "Its always sunny in Philadelphia" that took the volleyball part from Top Gun to a total higher homoerotic level! LOL!
Fighter pilots are different than normal people. They are the kid that would take a dare to jump off a roof, but was also better at math than just about anyone. A unique breed.
Take my breath away was written for Top Gun and performed by Berlin, so literally its the first time this was done... has it become cliche since, yes, but you're looking at the OG use ;)
University of Nebraska president Walter E. Carter Jr. was participating in the Top Gun school when this was filmed. He did an interview with local papers about it in anticipation of the upcoming film. He got the job of taking Tom Cruise out for drinks the night before he'd get his flight experience.
Many people joined the Navy after this movie. Once we were IN the Navy we turned this movie into a drinking game (OK, take a shot every time Maverick does something that should get him kicked out. Now do a shot for every cliche. NOW do a shot every time they fire a practice missile and shout "BLUE TUBES!")
uhmmm.... unless I'm mistaken... that's a Captain pin on Maverick's shirt, not a Lieutenant's. Jr Lieutenant is a gold stripe, 1st Lieutenant is a silver stripe, Captain is 2 stripes, Major is a leaf, Colonel is an eagle. IDK about the shoulder ranks from his white uniform..... but the brown shirt is definitely a Captain rank.
I wrote an essay in college called "The Need for Speed" about internet speed (it was the late 90s). I realize now I must've gotten the title from this movie without realizing.
the spin and goose hitting the canopy was a real problem with the f14, those engines wernt great and they lost some planes spinning just like that. they also had guys hit the canopy when ejecting too because in that kind of spin it could just sit above the plane not really going anywhere. they changed ejection procedure because of it
I was never a big fan of this movie. But every kid friend and adult I ever was around LOVED this movie. It was such a cultural milestone. This was a fun review to watch!
I thought I was going to pee my pants when you pointed out that they're playing that romantic song when the guy was talking in Tom Cruise's ear and you played the bite again. Oh my goodness, flipping classic observation by you. You win the Nobel Prize for this.
This movie... was the start of so many things! I still have such vivid memories of seeing it for the first time, June-something of 1986, in the small one-screen theater that used to be in my home town-area! It was the summer before my freshman year of high school! I went with my older brother, who had just graduated HS, and a couple of his friends, and, of course, I thought it was just the coolest hanging out with the older guys! I still remember snippets of the conversation in the car, after. That summer, I pretty much just about wore out the soundtrack cassette tape! This film ranks up there with the OG Star Wars Trilogy, and The Princess Bride, as movies I can watch over, and over, and over! Man, it brings back a feeling...!
3:04 that shot of the canopies always bumped me. Wouldn't the dorsal tail fins make contact with each other's plane. oh well, that's why they call it "suspension of disbelief".😂
If this was real life it would have been a very short movie. The first time he buzzed the tower he would have at minimum been kicked out of Top Gun with other options being loss of his aviator's wings or even separation from the service. As for fuel usage, they use a lot, especially if they use afterburners. Of course, the carrier would have had a tanker in the air for in flight refueling availability. Callsigns are generally given by other members of the squadron and are not always as cool as Maverick or Viper.
Afaik movies in the USA gain access to many military stuff (in terms of filming) but only if they also give the military access to the movie script so they can change the way how the military is portayed in the movies. Movies, which show the military in a critical or even negative way, get no access and will have to make everything CGI. I think, there was a good documentation about this topic somewhere.
I hardly ever comment, but I enjoy your reactions quite a bit. You two are alotta fun. Simone asked about how they filmed the flying scenes. For anyone interested, another RU-vidr, C.W. Lemoine (who was a fighter pilot with both the USAF and USN), has a series of 'behind the scenes' videos where he discusses the filming of all the flying schtuff with the pilots who were involved. Not sure if I can leave a link here so I won't. Just look him up and go give 'em a looksee...
I got to see it in theater once, in 2011 when AMC did some big screen showings for the 25th anniversary. And yes, that was awesome. Haven't seen Maverick yet, just trying to avoid spoilers until digital release.
@Cinebinge Reacts The F-14 TomCat ( The Star ⭐️ of the Film! 🤣🙄) was retired in September of 2006 ( Entered US Navy service in 1973/74) and it was essentially replaced (Although not a True replacement) by the F/A-18 Super Hornet which is featured in the sequel!
Now that you've see this you are properly prepared for one of the great parody movies of all time, Hot Shots!!! However, wait until after seeing Rambo 2 & 3 before continuing on to the sequel Hot Shots: Part Deux, on the plus side Rambo's 2 &3 also preps you for Weird Als very own UHF, so far, his one and only movie, it's hilarious!!! While Top Gun is all about the Navy, the 80's other classic fighter jock movie, Iron Eagle is all about the Air Force.
1:54 "Great. Maverick and Goose." Right there, we have the protagonist of a thriller established as being at odds with his immediate superior. You find this trait in _every_ thriller with at least a modicum of success to its name.
This is one of my favourite movies (and the inspiration for my gaming moniker) ... you giggle at the cliche-ness of this movie ... this is the movie that made those things cliche. .. also your mention of the homoerotic undertones, someone made a cutup of the movie that enhances it and makes iceman the romantic love interest.
Also the F-14A they used in the movie did have an issue with engine stalling as I understand it. Which was fix with the next version. Also, the movie is dedicated to the stunt pilot who died filming the flat spin ariel footage. Neither his body or plane was ever found.
Ah, one of those Child Rock songs, Simone. Nice. 20:54 This part was so funny! "Pete Mitchell left the Navy and found moderate success as a real estate agent" **slams potential customer against a wall** "I'll bring out the papers when I'm goddamn ready! Y'got that?" Yes, this movie is what popularized the whole aviator thing, as George said. So many action movie tropes - especially military - and most of all military pilot movies - come from this movie. The use of "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins to coincide with fighter jets has been referenced or parodied countless times. The use of "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin, was made for this movie soundtrack, but like so many things in pop culture, became a thing of parody. But wow did the ladies love it at the time. It got so much radio airplay and girls and adult women would have to turn it up and sing along. As a boy, I hated it. The bald instructor in the beginning (who also played Principal Strickland in Back to the Future) uses the line "Your ego is writing checks your body can't cash". Variations of that have been used elsewhere since, like "Your mouth is writing checks your ass can't cash". Also, the "I'm yelling at you and sound mad but dammit I think you're great" trick. "I feel the need. The need for speed" came from this movie. Again, probably was damn cool at the time but has been overly quoted to the point that it's only said as a joke. So much of what is in this movie is commonplace now to the point where it's laughable. At the time, though, America ate it up. Something I think Top Gun has over most modern pilot movies is that there was no CGI, so it was all real stunts filmed in the air by pros. If I can recommend another military aviator movie that actually came out the same year as Top Gun, called "Iron Eagle". I won't give any spoiler so the most basic synopsis is that a teen wants to rescue his dad who is captive behind enemy lines. While the girls were swooning over Cruise in Top Gun, I enjoyed this one.
oh yes, Top Gun was produced in close cooperation with the United States Navy ... and I think I read somewhere some time ago than after box office success of the original movie release heir recruitment rates balloon by think like 500% it was huge
To answer your question, see Legal Eagle's ananlyis of the laws broken and punishments. Suffice it to say, Maverick would not be available for the second movie.
I put this film in the category of "military hardware" movies: several films during the 70s and 80s whose main purpose seemed to be to impress the audience with all the cool stuff you could play with if you joined the army, navy, air force, or marines. I think the Pentagon viewed it as a recruitment device.
24:50 - correct. This movie was made because the producers read an article in a magazine about the TOP GUN flight school and felt that the idea of a "competitive fighter jet school" would make the topic of jet-fighter warfare relatable to an audience. Tony Scott's involvement elevated the idea of competitive fighter-pilot school to the concept of a "sports movie" (which was a big genre at the time in the 80's, especially high-school sports films). Between the flight-school concept and the sports-movie concept, TOP GUN finally had a means of connecting with an audience and also an excuse to do heartfelt stuff like weaving a romance and a tragic death. TOP GUN wasn't the first film about jet-fighter pilots, but its the first one that worked and created a phenomenon that was copied all through the 80's and 90's.
In the real Top Gun school you're not allowed to make any reference to the movie at all under no circumstances, especially quotes. It disconnects you from the seriousness of the reality. TY for viewing!
Great reaction! Fuel consumption drastically goes down during dogfighting. This is because pilots are cycling in and out of afterburner during defensive and offensive maneuvers. Jet fighters bleed down energy fast during sharp turns. They make it up by lighting up the torches The F-14s and A-4s (topgun school enemy jets) are both retired from the US Navy. CVN-65, the aircraft carrier filmed here is also retired. Goose dying is based on a real world event that actually happened. The RIO, in real life, survived but was severely injured. The canopy is designed to pop off then separate by air flow. During the spin/drop, it floated above the crew, making it an obstacle
The US military works with movie studios after reviewing the script. This movie is basically a sports movie applied to the US military. The US military absolutely love this movie. The US Navy actively recruited outside movie theaters and they got a lot of recruits. I've seen pictures indicating that the Navy and Air Force are doing the same now. Unfortunately, the US Navy retired the F-14, because they were very expensive and maintenance was difficult because of their swing wings. The engines for the F-14A were horrible and led to many accidents. These were replaced and the F-14B and a F-14D were much better. The problem is that the F-14D cost equivalent of 100 million dollars today. With the threat of the Soviet Union gone, we didn't need a long-range interceptor. Of course, it would be nice right now. Instead, we fly the F\A-18D and E And a few carriers have one squadron of F-35 stealth fighters too. The aerial shots in this movie are amazing. Unfortunately, they cost the life of a cameraman.
@cinebinge, I'm an avid combat flight sim "pilot" (commercial flight doesn't interest me), I recommend a channel by Ward Carol (Ex navy pilot who has flown the F-15) He has a video that explains how the call signs are given out, and the reasoning behind them (his call sign is "Mooch" btw) He also has a vid on the real life accident that kills Goose + others. Its very interesting and worth a look when\if you have some free time. Great reaction again guys :)
When this movie first came out, it inspired a lot of people to actually join the Navy, thus helping the low recruitment numbers the Navy was actually being affected by at the time.
This film was made with HUGE cooperation from the US Navy. Every teenage boy and his brother wanted to be a pilot. Navy recruiting went up by historical figures. PS... the American military is made up of: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. The Coast Guard and the Space Force are not combat units. The Marine Corps is under the Dept Of The Navy, but are their own branch. There are Marine pilots stationed on Navy carriers, and there are Navy Seals that are actually in the Marines. Im a Navy brat, meaning my pops was in the Navy, and I grew up on military bases. I was born at Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Base in NC. Military brats have a special bond with each other. We didn't have the "traditional" childhood because you move every 3 years, you have to let go of friends and make new ones. I enjoyed it, my sister not so much. But... we were world travelers by the time we graduated high school.
The masks pump pure oxygen to the pilot, they’re very useful in high tension flying but a lot of pilots say they can be a bit “claustrophobic” when just cruising
@@MrSinnerBOFH that’s incorrect. Below like 25000 ft a pilot can go a long time without the mask. Pilots regularly drink water and eat things in the cockpit and those things require the mask to come off. There’s a reason the mask is able to be unsecured by the crew mid flight, because taking it off really isn’t always a problem.
In reality dogfights would have a lot more distance between the planes but that would make it hard to film everything. Kind of like hunt for red October showing the subs 100’s ft apart instead of actually being thousands of yards
You saw this in preparation to see Top Gun: Maverick? I hoped you did it because you were going to watch Hot Shots! (1991) next. Fantastic parody movie!
