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With the addition of the Paramount Presents line has also come forth a few films that are not only MASTERED in 4K, but actually given the 4K UHD treatment. This week it's a trio of Tom Cruise goodness with one of hte most classic and iconic Cruise movies ever created getting the golden treatment. Yup, you guessed it, the need for speed flick itself, Top Gun.
I don’t think there are many people alive who HAVEN’T seen Top Gun. It’s one of those films that like “Star Wars”. When someone mentions not having seen it before you look at them like Stewie Griffin going “say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttt?!” in shock and horror. It’s a movie that has gained cult status amongst those of us who grew up in the 1980’s and most people would be surprised how many pop culture references came directly quoted from Top Gun. While the title Top Gun is what most people call it, I have a few alternate titles that seem to fit it quite well. “Machismo Unleashed”. “Take My Breath Away: The movie” (seriously, I’ve never heard a movie ram in that song so many times). “Testosterone, it’s what’s for dinner”. Basically if you can read between my very tongue in cheek lines, Top Gun is a hysterical mess of 1980’s cheese in a way that has aged badly, but still remains a blast to watch. Especially when you start to realize that is a soap opera for men.
Pete Mitchell, call sign Maverick (Tom Cruise) and his wingman, Goose (Anthony Edwards, best known for playing Dr. Mark Greene in the TV show, “ER”) are the best of the best in their group of the Naval airmen. Well, ALMOST the best, as they are pushed into the #1 slot after one of their team mates cracks under pressure and leaves. This would all be well and good if Maverick was not the cockiest son of a gun out there. A cockiness that borders on stupidity and recklessness. After gaining the #1 spot, he and goose are sent to the elite training camp of the Navy, Top Gun. Set up against the best of the best from all over, they are graded and trained to become even better pilots, and those who don’t make the cut get more than a black mark. They’re sent packing.
While it’s all fun and games to Maverick, things get serious real quick when he falls for instructor Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), a gorgeous blonde civilian attaché who has just been put under missile lock from one Pete Mitchell. The two instantly hit it off, and against her better judgement, Charlie actually ends up dating the cocky pilot. While this may seem like the perfect score for Maverick, he has to come face to face with his own insecurities and stupidity when everyone in the entire class ends up hating him, most of all Iceman (Val Kilmer), who feels that Maverick is too rogue for the group. Fighting for the top spot in Top Gun is more than a game. Something that Maverick has to learn the hard when his copilot and he are involved in an airborne accident which ends up costing Goose his life. Faced with being a burnout or overcoming the raging guilt, Maverick has to fly head on into his own subconscious and find a reason to go on.
Top Gun is an icon in cinema, and there’s a reason people talk about Top Gun glasses” or quote lines like “I feel the need…the need for speed!” or think of the movie every time Kenny Loggins “Danger Zone” is played on the radio (or mentioned on Archer). The stars were shining at their brightest and while Cruise and Kilmer were the top billed actors, there are a lot of fun cameos from up and coming stars as well. We get to see a VERY young Adrian Pasdar (“Heroes”, “Burn Notice”) play a bit part as a pilot, Meg Ryan as Goose’s wife for only one or two scenes, and a still young Michael Ironside as one of the Top Gun flight instructors, call sign Jester. It’s fun, it’s goofy, and it’s completely a product of the 1980s. It’s Top Gun
Rating:
Rated PG. Parental Guidance Recommended.
4K Video: Video:
The movie is not going to blow you away if you’re used to modern digital filming, but as an upgrade over the VERY worn Blu-ray that we’ve had for a LONG time on the Blu-ray format, this is a stunning revelation that really gives the movie new life. It’s very faithful to the source material and Scott’s color grading preferences and the despite those few flaws I mentioned at the beginning of the video review, this is one impressive looking “film” (yes, actual film).
Audio:
Extras:
• NEW On Your Six - Thirty Years of Top Gun - Featurette
• Audio Commentary by Naval experts and filmmakers
• Danger Zone - The Making of Top Gun - six-part documentary feature
• Tom Cruise interviews
• Multi-angle storyboards
• Best of the Best: Inside the Real Top Gun
• Behind the scenes featurette
• Survival trailing featurette
Final Score:
I’m not so sure that Top Gun has aged that well over the years, but is a FUN bit of 80s cheese nonetheless. It’s been iconicized in American cinema, and has been a staple release for Paramount over the years. The 25th and 30th anniversary editions that came out were a solid Blu-ray disc, but Paramount went the extra mile and finally gave it a brand new remaster (which is also included on the Blu-ray disc in this combo pack, and not just relegated to the 4K UHD disc), as well as cramming in a FEW more extras and decking it out with a nice Dolby Atmos track. I’ve seen literally EVERY version of this film on home video from VHS to 4 different variants of the Blu-ray format, and this upgrade is very much worth it as Tony Scott’s raw filming style translates well to 2160p. The new 4K remaster of the Blu-ray itself is also a welcome addition for those who haven’t upgrade to 4K yet and the new extras revealing. Definitely worth grabbing if you’re a fan of the film.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Tim Robbins, Kelly McGillis, Michael Ironsides, Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt
Directed by: Tony Scott
Written by: Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr.
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), German, Spanish (Latin), Spanish (Castilian), French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian DD 5,1, Japanese DD Mono, Japanese DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Korean, Mandarin (Simplified), Mandarin (Traditional), Norwegian, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Thai
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG
Runtime: 109 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: May 19th 2020
Recommendation: Good Watch