Top Gun (Special Collector's Edition) (1986)

Top Gun never claims to have epic scope, emotional gravitas, or a deep plot. I imagine that those who criticize this movie for its supposed shortcomings also look upon the Three Stooges with disgust for not exploring the depth of Moe's antagonistic relationship with Curly. The fact is that only about 10% of films released in general circulation attempt to have the depth of a Citizen Kane or Godfather. Among the other 90%, Top Gun is the best of the best.

Top Gun's obvious strength is the aerial visuals. Not since perhaps Howard Hughes' Jet Pilot has there been such an ambitious attempt to capture the look and feel of high performance flight. The F-14's photogenic qualities combine with Tony Scott's signature backlighting to create a terrific sense of energy and screen presence for the Grumman bird. The tactical realism may suffer, but the tight spacing and resulting packed frames of the ACM sequqnces are uniquely energetic and fast-paced. It is a shame that this may be the last time that anyone goes to the expense and hassle of using real film to capture such manuevers. The footage still compares favorably to state of the art CGI 20 years after its release.

The non-flying scenes are remarkable only for the collection of young talent that would eventually drive box office returns for a good part of the '90s. But the greatest compliment I could give the plot and acting is that they don't detract from the pacing and cohesiveness of a visually-driven movie.

*RE: Review TitleOK3 is the best grade possible for US Navy pilots performing carrier landings.

4:3 ratio screen is very good transfer. However, wide-screen isn't really wide screen. it's a 4:3 screen chopped off from top and bottom. in other word, instead of having a whole theatrical picture, what you get is picture that's been chopped up both vertical and horizontally. what we are seeing is only 1/3 of what's filmed, which is even smaller than 4:3. somebody cheated big time from paramount. setup menu is false leading. I want to see entire wing span on F-14! It does make huge difference on impact in fighting scene. movie this good must be done right. and while at it, make it a anamorphic enhanced.

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"Top Gun" is the mach ten 80s mega hit that set theatre attendance on fire and established producer Jerry Bruckheimer and actor Tom Cruise as two of Hollywood's king size titans, behind and in front of the camera. All about a military flight school run for `the best of the best,' the film stars Cruise as Lt. Pete Maverick Mitchell. Pete's too sexy for his leather bomber jacket and he knows it. He's also short on pleasantries when it comes to wooing the femme fatale of the friendly skies, Charlotte `Charlie' Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). But high flying maneuvers between Pete and Charlie quickly move from the school room to the bedroom. Then tragedy strikes and Pete has to pull it together to prove himself as the hero of the hour. Val Kilmer costars as Pete's annoying and priggish rival for the top honors; Tom `Iceman' Kazanski. The cast also includes Tom Skeritt, Michael Ironside and Anthony Edwards.

What sets "Top Gun" apart from similar military film fare of the 80s is its ability to combine a sense of the miraculous within the gritty world of tougher than tough obstacles. The dog fight footage is thrilling and the plot moves effortlessly from drama, to melodrama, to action/adventure yarn on testosterone overdrive. There's even a shirtless eye candy volleyball tournament thrown in, with the guys doing their machismo best to ignite interest in the female population. However, the soundtrack album, which fueled the film's high octane performance at the box office, now seems to have dated at twice the rate of any other from the 80s save `Dirty Dancing.' Kenny Loggins' `Playin' With The Boys' and Tina Marie's `Lead Me On' have that faint tinny echo of a forgotten pop culture where hoop earrings and big hair were synonymous with wacky-tacky red carpet glamour. Berlin's `Take My Breath Away' does anything but.

After the disastrous effort put forth on Paramount's `Footloose' special editon, I didn't hold out much hope for this transfer either. However, "Top Gun's" anamorphically enhanced transfer is remarkably clean and solid. Color saturation is very nicely rendered with velvety blacks and very pristine whites. Occasionally one will note a slight hint of film grain. There are no digital anomalies (edge enhancement, pixelization, shimmering of fine details) for a smooth video presentation that is sure to please. The audio has been remixed but continues to exhibit that dated 80s quality that is best left to nostalgia for a time when sound wasn't quite so integral to one's overall appreciation of movie culture. Extras include an audio commentary that is adequate at best. There's also a 6 part documentary that really should have been played as one big one, four music videos which will confound people as to why MTV became so big, and some storyboards, production materials and vintage featurettes. So set your DVD player to `cruise' control and get ready to set off for the wild blue yonder. "Top Gun" is a blast!

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I agree with many that TOP GUN is quite dated, has 1986 written all over it but is worth seeing for the fantastic stunts and sky scenes. This film was made before CGI took over (the good old days). On its release back in 1986, the film was popular because of the big stars at the time (Cruise, Kilmer and McGillis), the awesome soundtrack and the special stunts. The plot however was disappointing as well as the poor character development.

The original DVD release was in the wrong widescreen aspect ratio (2:00), but has been fixed for this new Special Edition by reinstating the correct 2:40 aspect ratio. In addition, the print has been restored to a degree and it looks fantastic! The special features are a godsend, including video clips for the key songs, a making of documentary and vintage footage of Tom Cruise speaking about the film in 1986.

Despite it's downsides, the film is worth seeing. The new DVD is worth purchasing for it's restoration and impressive special features. At last, Paramount are starting to do DVD's properly.

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Well, this was really a mixed bag for me. Top Gun was always one of my favorite movies growing up, and I've owned it on VHS, DVD, and now Blu-Ray. The lack of aspect ratio information on the box is quite telling, as there is no TRUE widescreen all video is letterboxed, even on a 16:9 HD LCD TV. The "widescreen" is simply a cropped version of the full screen edition, with black bars. This was very disappointing to me, as I was hoping for some full 1080 F-14 action.

That said, the EXCELLENT DTS 6.1 sound track nearly makes up for the visuals. The encoding seems theater-pure, and is one of the best BD audio tracks I've heard. It's really astonishing how defined the audio is, especially the spatial effects and rumble during the flying sequences. Simply superb audio.

Hopefully, Paramount can dig up a better quality version of the master and give us a TRUE widescreen, full HD experience for Top Gun. Until then, this is the best that we've got.