Statement of Purpose

We have been asked to write about a before 2000s film we wanted to

write and research about a film we liked. I chose Top Gun which is

my focus of this study.

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Research Questions

This study contained three major questions:

1. How was Top Gun filmed?

2. What were the common themes we saw in Top Gun?

3. How does Top Gun 1986 compare to the 2022 sequel, Top Gun:                                                                                                                                                                                         Maverick.

4. What were my first impressions and what did I pick up on during                                                                                                                                                                                  the first watch?

 

1. How was Top Gun 1986 filmed

• Top Gun 1986 was unlike anything that had seen before in the film                                                                                                                                                                        industry.  

• They worked with the US navy doing real stunts in real F-18s. 

• Filmed and edited in Scott's rock n’ roll style, emphasized fast cuts,                                                                                                                                                                               fast action and rigorous sound production to give the film                                                                                                                                                                                      powerful energy. 

• They get the viewers' attention by also using a Birdseye view and a                                                                                                                                                                            cockpit view. These things are something we as normal people,                                                                                                                                                                              wouldn’t get to experience or see unless we enlist. But here they                                                                                                                                                                                          film many scenes using all 360 degrees to make it seem like us as                                                                                                                                                                               viewers are there in the cockpit with the pilots. Making us more interested in the film. 

• It cost Tony Scott $25,000 to get one specific shot! He was filming aircraft landing and taking off with the sunlight backing the scene. However, whilst filming the aircraft carrier moved off its course and the captain said it would cost $25,000 to do it. 

• The music was also a big part of the film. The producers of the film made sure to use music that enhances the scene. 

• The now iconic theme tune ‘highway to the danger zone’ encapsulates the danger of the sky but also makes the viewer more interested

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2. What were the common themes we saw in Top Gun?

We see throughout the film some different themes. These themes are all common and are all carried throughout the movie. I found 4 different themes and all of which they are many examples of which we can see them throughout.

• Loyalty --> Maverick and Goose’s relationship encapsulates the loyalty of their relationship. Goose always is loyal to Maverick, even when his inability to follow the rules during some of their training sessions and however disappointed Goose is with Maverick, he always sticks by his side. This motivates Maverick to do better as Goose is ‘the only family he’s got’ and he doesn’t want to let him down. 

• Trauma --> During the film its revealed that Maverick lost is parents at a young age and this is what could've caused his inability to follow rules and his reckless nature. Many of the characters point out that the reason he does this is because he wants to prove everyone wrong. We find out that Mavericks Father (Duke Mitchell) was a disgraced navy deal and because of this Maverick wasn’t allowed into the flying academy. This seems like self-sabotage to many of his instructors because he has great potential, he just doesn’t follow rules. Overall, it seems like Maverick hasn’t worked through any of his past trauma. When Goose dies, we discover that Maverick feels responsible for his death, triggering him to have PTSD responses. It's unclear if Maverick would fly again due to him being rattled and racked with guilt. In the final mission Maverick is caught up in Iceman's engine blast and for a moment it seems like he wouldn’t recover but he calls on his memory on Goose to help him and to lead him back to the mission.  

• Bravery --> We see in the first mission that Maverick uses his recklessness and channels it into bravery. He does this when he helps Cougar land his plane in the first mission. However reckless Maverick may be, he just wants to help his fellow pilots out. After many incidents at top gun, Maverick learns how to channel his inability to follow rules into helping others. In the final scenes we see him demonstrating the lessons and skills he’s learnt. 

• Redemption --> The most major theme of top gun is redemption. In the final mission Maverick redeems himself in a way, he does this by ‘saving the day’ in the final mission. This shows us that Maverick could be a team player if he puts his mind to it. Despite his uneasiness to fly again after Goose’s death, Maverick finally moves on and uses his gifts as a pilot into helping the navy.  

 

3. How does Top Gun 1986 compare to the 2022 sequel, Top Gun: Maverick

This was probably the hardest part to follow due it to being a new film, and top gun such a classic that it was difficult to compare both of them however I found some major differences.

• In the sequel to top gun. Maverick is presented as a character who still has his devilish charm and rebellious spirt, but he now has more of a humility and reluctance to his mindset. This is the opposite to the first film with his reckless and inability to follow the rules. 

• In Top Gun Maverick, Joseph Kosinski works closely with the US navy once again so they could film in the actual planes. The result of this is that they could create a slick film. 

• We don’t see as many up close, short/fast shots in top gun maverick. We however do get to see the tech in the planes and how they centre and lock onto a plane ready to shoot. 

• The original Top Gun has the kinetic edge, while Top Gun: Maverick has a high-tech edge which makes for two films very distant films. 

• Top Gun: Maverick shows the actors preforming in the aircraft for some technical sequences. However much it pushes the limits, people still say ‘there's no substitute for the original 1986 top gun’. This is because the dynamic style that the late director Tony Scott had, is still seemingly unmatched by any filmmaker in the genre. Especially in the era that top gun came out in. 

• Top Gun is a classic film for a reason. Top Gun: Maverick however is still a cinematic achievement, it's not a gene-defying sequel that we all wanted, giving the original Top Gun the edge when it comes to choosing which one to watch. Both however are amazing films. 

• Empire Magazine tells us that Top Gun: Maverick not only matches the original but, in some areas, it is an improvement. 

 

The characters also compared to the original and we saw how the writers had made a couple of them using mavericks and iceman’s personalities. This whole new roster of Top Gun recruits all with new cool call signs like: Hangman, Phoenix and Payback. The most common thing is they all have no respect for Maverick.  Hangman is a character that has been developed from Maverick and Iceman. Hangman has Mavericks reckless and quippy personality but also has iceman's quick remarks and sense of flying and Phoenix had to fight her way into a job that’s full of men. She had to prove to everyone she deserved to be there just like Maverick had to prove that he wasn’t like his dad, and he deserved to be in Top Gun.  

4. What were my first impressions and what did I pick up on during first watch? 

During first watch I picked up on a lot. I picked up on that: 

• Top Gun is about a guy called Maverick and his partner Goose.   

• It eventually earned $176.8 million at the domestic box office and becoming the highest grossing picture of that year  

• In the opening scene, a navy pilot and his partner fly's upside down above a Russian built MiG and his partner snaps a polaroid picture of the enemy pilot. The pilot then flips him the finger and peels off. They use this as the opening shot to make us as the audience be excited and anticipate who is this guy that’s flying and what's he doing.   

• Best graduate from each class at the flying school is known as a ‘Top Gun’ and progresses to the Navy’s most elite flying school. And in this case Maverick is chosen it.   

• They get the viewers' attention by also using a Birdseye view and a cockpit view. These things are something we as normal people, wouldn’t get to experience or see unless we. enlist. But here they film many scenes using all 360 degrees to make it seem like us as viewers are there in the cockpit with the pilots. Making us more interested in the film  

• Mavericks commanding officer at the flying school is the only one who knows what happens to Maverick's father.   

 

I also picked up these two quotes which highlight the friendship and are just some iconic quotes from the movie that everyone knows. 

• The line ‘I feel the need – the need for speed’ spoken by Maverick and Goose illustrates the pairs friendship.  

• "That's right, Iceman. I am dangerous." - spoken by Maverick gives us our first glimpse of how defiant Maverick is, this then expands through the movie, and we see Maverick and Iceman come friends right at the end.  

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