What happens when you take one of the most iconic testosterone-filled blockbusters of the 1980s and revisit the characters after more than three and a half decades? You produce a shockingly good ode to the original movie that easily stands on its own as an enjoyable thrill ride and—let’s face it—recruitment effort for the United States Navy.
Eve and I take to the skies and feel the Gs so we can check out the much-delayed Top Gun: Maverick in theaters this month.
Top Gun: Maverick is the Tom Cruise vehicle that had been delayed multiple times during the COVID era. Before COVID, any delay would suggest problems and predict a giant goose egg for the release box office. Top Gun: Maverick shows us that has changed; it is probably the summer’s best movie. Maverick isn’t dependent on nostalgia but delivers a rip-roaring, action-packed film with a story that stands perfectly well on its own yet is enhanced by familiarity with the original movie.
Joseph Kosinski directed Top Gun: Maverick, which stars Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, John Hamm, and Charles Parnell, among many other impressively good actors. Like the original, Maverick has quite a few pop songs scattered throughout the movie, but it also contains original music. The score is composed by Lorne Balfe, who did a great job with it. We’ve encountered his work in the past; he wrote the music for the Ang Lee-directed Will Smith movie, Gemini Man, which Eve enjoyed so much she added it to her playlist!
We can’t discuss Top Gun: Maverick without acknowledging the elephant in the room, even if this particular elephant looks suspiciously like an FA-18F fighter jet. As we pointed out on social media, both the original Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick were produced with the full cooperation of the United States Navy. As a result, both movies serve as powerful recruitment tools, as PluggedIn Online points out.
First Impressions
I’ve complained on Are You Just Watching in the past about the lack of original content coming out of Hollywood. Unfortunately, they keep returning to the same wells, producing reboots and sequels left and right. I still think that is a problem, but I must admit that the two nostalgic sequels we’ve reviewed, this one and Ghostbusters: Afterlife, were surprisingly well done. Story-wise, Maverick easily takes home the sequel crown, though. They took everything that made the first movie a blast and tweaked it just enough to make it feel fresh and respectful. They made changes where changes were needed, but not in ways that generated [much] controversy. Whereas Ghostbusters: Afterlife went out of its way to not be derivative, Maverick embraced the original and made the formula work again, 36 years later. The dedication of the creative team and actors in Maverick shines through in every shot. They went out of their way to make the movie authentic on a whole new level. To quote Eve’s assessment, “This movie blew the original Top Gun out of the sky without a dogfight.”
Val Kilmer’s participation in Top Gun: Maverick is a hidden gem on several levels. The most significant is that he has a few speaking lines where he seeks to encourage Maverick to teach the hotshot pilots to perform an impossible mission. His character in the movie suffers from throat cancer and has a tough time speaking. Reality is far more impressive. Val Kilmer lost his voice almost entirely in 2014 when he had a tracheotomy as part of his treatment for throat cancer. To get Kilmer’s voice in Top Gun: Maverick, the producers worked with a company called Somatic to use artificial intelligence that sampled hundreds of hours of Kilmer’s pre-illness recorded dialog. It then generated a new voice for the actor that is practically indistinguishable from his own. As a computer geek, I can tell you that this voice generation technology is incredible. As a movie fan, I have to say; I couldn’t tell that it wasn’t Kilmer speaking.
For my part, the filmmakers did something special that I wish so many more of them would. In the Penny and Pete romantic story line, the director felt that the audience was smart enough to fill in the blanks with context and a reference to the source material. As a result, they didn’t hit us with an inappropriate exposition dump, and I appreciated that.
Even though he had a minor supporting role in the film, I also thought that John Hamm nailed his character presentation. He was good enough that I think he might get an Oscar nod.
Ultimately, the excellent character development, the authenticity of the action scenes, and the positive light for the US Navy make Top Gun: Maverick a terrific movie.
**Note that, from this point on, we will make no effort to avoid any spoilers for Top Gun: Maverick.**
Holding Grudges and Forgiving Wrongs
As much as any story line in Top Gun: Maverick, the badly strained relationship between Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and Goose’s son, Brad “Rooster” Bradshaw, is front and center. Rooster rightfully blames Maverick for pulling his papers to enter the Navy Academy. He doesn’t know the whole story but holds a grudge because of it. By the movie’s end, they have saved each other’s lives and repaired their relationship.
Nursing grudges have become an American pastime in recent years, particularly in politics and show business. There never seems to be a lack of stories about who wronged who or what an argument is about. But, like so many other things that society has accepted, grudges poison the soul. So when Israel was instructed in Leviticus 19:18 to “not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself,” God was imparting essential wisdom to His people. The Hebrew word for grudge here is natar which means “to watch over, guard, be slow to anger.” It gives the sense that by refusing to let go of your anger, you guard it in your heart and allow it to take the place of prominence in your life. Scripture makes it clear that we need to guard our hearts against ungodly influences:
Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
If we don’t, we find that the sin in our hearts will contaminate everything we think, say, and do. If we nurse grudges, we cannot follow Paul’s instructions in Ephesians:
And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:32)
By definition, holding a grudge is failing to forgive.
You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? (Matthew 5:43-47)
We cannot control what other people think, say, or do; we can only control ourselves. Nursing a grudge or forgiving a wrong is entirely our action, independent of others. Grudges are one-sided. They prevent us from having empathy for the target. Without that empathy, understanding is impossible. It wasn’t until Maverick and Rooster overcame their grudges that they could achieve their own elements of critical growth. For Maverick, it was healing the trauma of losing his wing man 36 years earlier. For Rooster, gaining the confidence allowed him to move from being “one of the best pilots” to “the best pilot.”
Preserving futures and graceful Exits
At the opening of Top Gun: Maverick, we see that even as a test pilot for the next generation of supersonic aircraft, Maverick was facing obsolescence as others pushed for remotely piloted and artificially intelligent drones. While the movie may have exaggerated the threat a little, this is something we face in our lives. Eve and I have had to make adjustments as we have been in our respective careers for thirty years. As Christians, though, we have two advantages over the unbeliever. First, we believe in a sovereign God who has equipped us to prepare the only future that matters—the coming of His kingdom. Second, we know that even if we become obsolete in our vocations, we have a promise that God will provide for us.
Scripture reminds us that we should not worry about tomorrow and beware of becoming too reliant on our plans for the future:
Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:34)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15)
In Top Gun: Maverick, Pete handles the threats and reality of obsolescence well. His general response is along the lines of, “maybe so, but not today.” Maverick didn’t worry as much about his future as he did his commitment to those under his charge. For example, when ousted as the mission instructor after Ice’s death, Maverick risked dishonorable discharge and imprisonment to demonstrate to the pilots that it was possible to accomplish the mission and make it home.
Maverick seems to be embracing his age and his limitations to an extent. It reminds us of a verse in Proverbs.
The glory of young men is their strength, and the splendor of old men is gray hair. (Proverbs 20:29)
Regarding the role of Christians and advancing technology, I recently listened to a fascinating book by Tony Reinke called God, Technology, and the Christian Life. In it, he shows how God is as much the God over technology as he is over everything else. He demonstrates through the Word and historical references how God has repeatedly used technology for His purposes; and punished those who sought to displace Him with it. I recommend checking it out.
Identity
When Ice has called Maverick to talk about Maverick’s assignment, he tells the admiral, “I’m not a teacher. I’m a fighter pilot. It’s not who I am, it’s what I am.” We are often called to step into roles with which we aren’t comfortable, but there is a certain amount of wisdom in putting yourself in positions where you can make the best use of your God-given talents:
Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, let it be from the strength God provides, so that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. (1 Peter 4:10-11)
In our lives, we are where we are because God has put us here—He is ultimately sovereign. We also know that God makes everything work to His good—frequently putting exceptionally talented people where they need to be when they need to be there.
Identity is a touchy subject in our current society, but Christians should remember that our identity in Christ is more important than any moniker with which we can identify. We are not black Christians, white Christians, Asian Christians, rich Christians, etc. We are the body of Christ.
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)
There is no rider on our identity as Christians. Our skin color, wealth, or gender do not inform our Christianity. Our faith in Christ informs every other aspect of our lives, not the other way around.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
The weird fact is that this is so freeing. It removes the angst and anger to be in Christ first and depend on him for our identity. Society would instead claim the right to determine its own identity, seek to force that identity on the people around them, and deny even the existence of a sovereign Lord.
The True Purpose of Top Gun: Creating a Team
I am honored to count Navy Commander Clay “Defrag” Johnson among my brothers and friends. Clay is a decorated F18 pilot who has been to TOP GUN; most recently, he flew as OPFOR (Opposition Force) while they were filming footage for the movie. We don’t know that any of his flying made the final cut, but I choose to believe it!
Before Eve and I recorded for this episode, I threw a few questions Clay’s way about the stuff we saw in the movie and its predecessor. You can read the entire question and answer document here.
As part of my questions, we discussed the importance of being a team player and how it compares to the movies:
Q. Finally, Glen Roberts, the chief of the Pentagon’s entertainment media office said, “The real Top Gun pilots aren’t the cocky rule-benders portrayed in the film, people who “would never exist in naval aviation.” Instead, they’re studious air nerds who toil away for hours in the classroom and participate in intense training flights at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, the site of the actual Top Gun school.” Would you agree?
A. I agree with this 100%. [A]s cool as Maverick is, I don’t think he would actually last long in real TOP GUN. That said, I don’t think Hangman would have either, as teamwork, likeability, and just all-around “good dude” skills are really important. In fact, the real purpose of TOP GUN is to train people who then go back to the fleet to train the rest of the people. If the TOP GUN grads were all “don’t think, just do” or otherwise unfriendly, abrasive, or rude, then they would be poor teachers indeed.
“Good dude” skills are just as important as we grow as Christians in our church families. Christ didn’t just stop by telling us to believe in Him, he also gave some very specific instructions:
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19–20)
Christ tells us to make disciples and to teach. Our responsibility doesn’t stop in leading unbelievers in the sinner’s prayer. We must mentor them in growth and equip them to do the same. Just as the TOP GUN school “trains the trainers,” the stronger Christians are called to help the weaker ones grow in strength. In Top Gun: Maverick, we see Pete Mitchell has grown from the hotshot young pilot of 36 years ago into a veteran flyer seeking to impart his wisdom and hard-learned lessons to the next generations. Like Maverick in the movie, we should not be striving to excel but equipping others to excel.
And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12)
Mini Theme: The Patriotic Sacrifice
In Top Gun: Maverick, the mission is so important that it absolutely must be done, even at the cost is the lives of six highly skilled pilots and four multi-million dollar aircraft. This lesson is one of the hardest things to learn as you advance in leadership roles in the military. Many are willing to put themselves in harm’s way, but fewer are ready to send others in their stead.
This fictional portrayal of a genuine concept reminded me of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Thine Own Self,” the secondary plot of the episode involved Counselor Troi seeking to pass her command officer examinations. Unfortunately, she fails multiple times until she realizes that she may be forced to sacrifice some of the crew to save the ship or perform the mission.
“You taught me not to think!”
After Maverick sacrificed his own plane in order to save Rooster, the younger pilot continues to fight rather than returning to the carrier, seeking to clear the skies so Maverick can be rescued. Consequently, Rooster is also shot down. When Maverick runs up to an ejected but uninjured Rooster, he knocks him down and yells at him. “What the [heck] were you thinking?” Rooster responds, “You taught me not to think!”
The idea of “don’t think, do,” is a great gimmick for the movie, but doesn’t apply to reality nearly as often.
When I asked Clay about this movie mantra, he responded:
More from Clay: One of my beefs with the new movie was the idea of “if you think in the jet, you die”. With the advances in both our capabilities and our peers around the world, modern air warfare has to become much more a thinking game. I’m not sure what fighting was like back in “the big fighter” (the Tomcat), but now you likely will die multiple times on the way to “the merge” (what its called when two airplanes finally get close enough to see and engage each other with short-range IR missiles or even guns) if you aren’t paying close attention to your radar and planning accordingly. Much of our training goes into recognizing different situations and how to react accordingly. Perhaps most interestingly, much of the “recognize the situation” actually comes from listening to our Air Intercept Controllers (AIC) audio transmissions, and not necessarily from what our radar (via visual cues on the screen). Imagine listening to multiple radio conversations and building a mental model of where perhaps 20 or even 30 different airborne entities, good and bad, are relative to you—you have to be a bit of a cerebral person to excel at that. Now throw in the many different models of enemy fighters, each with their own strengths and capabilities and you really do need to spend a lot of study time just trying to remember all the different ways the enemy can kill you!
The same is true—if somewhat less dangerous—for watching movies and television shows. It is also what Are You Just Watching is all about. When we are watching, we also need to “recognize the situation” and act on guidance from God through the Word. Sometimes, it’s incredibly complicated. But as Clay said, “you have to be a bit of a cerebral person to excel at that.”
The Bible tells us more than a few times that we need to need to be able to think about what we are teaching and refute the teaching that contradicts God’s Word:
As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it. (Titus 1:7-9)
So don’t turn off your brain. Instead, remember God’s Word and “hold to the faithful message as taught.”
And remember:
Don’t Just Watch.
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