Top Gun

Name: Top Gun
Genre: Action, Drama, Romance
Released: May 16, 1986
Duration: 110 min
Rating: 50
Cast: Anthony Edwards, Barry Tubb, John Stockwell, Kelly McGillis, Michael Ironside

1986

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 15 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 220 Ratings

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6.9

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6.9	Your Score
6.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 220 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Paramount Pictures | Release Date: May 16, 1986 | PG

Starring: Anthony Edwards, Barry Tubb, John Stockwell, Kelly McGillis, Michael Ironside, Rick Rossovich, Tim Robbins, Tom Cruise, Tom Skerritt, Val Kilmer

Summary: As students at Top Gun, the United States Navy's elite fighter weapons school, compete to be best in the class, one daring young pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) learns a few things from a civilian instructor (Kelly McGillis) that are not taught in the classroom.

Director: Tony Scott

Genre(s): Action, Drama, Romance

Rating: PG

Runtime: 110 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Empire Adam Smith

Top Gun is not so much a movie in the conventional sense as an escalating series of masterfully crafted adverts: motorcycles, aircraft carriers, pectorals and planes all look as if they’ve been shot for a particularly luminous beer campaign. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

Set in the world of naval fighter pilots, pic has strong visuals and pretty young people in stylish clothes and a non-stop soundtrack. Read full review

Chris Nashawaty

Top Gun has always been more than just an action flick about a cocky young fighter pilot who feels the need for speed. Read full review

Bill Cosford

Like "An Officer and a Gentleman", Top Gun travels a cramped emotional range. The characters don't really change, but have plot devices imposed on them. Unlike its template, however, Top Gun does have a payoff: Maverick and his pals do a lot of flying, and many of the aerial scenes are impressive. [16 May 1986, p.6]

Walter Goodman

The excitement is switched off on landing. Once Top Gun, which opens today at Loews Astor Plaza and other theaters, gets back to earth, the master of the skies is as clunky as a big land-bound bird. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

What TOP GUN contributes to the genre is an increased emphasis on military hardware and an almost homoerotic attraction for male bodies, mostly sweaty ones. Read full review

Jay Scott

There is no acting to speak of (and to speak of Cruise's performance at all would be embarrassing) but there is a point of view. This is yet another Ramboesque instalment in the current American obsession with might making right. As a movie, Top Gun is negligible and near ridiculous; as a cultural phenomenon, it is sobering and faintly frightening. [16 May 1986, p.C5]

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User Reviews

gloriasgrade

Jun 17, 2022

Top Gun is one of the underrated 1980s movie and still good movie to watch in 2020s.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

MattJacks2003

Mar 9, 2019

What ever you do, Don't be attacked, This movie is mediocre and hip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FelicityFenwick

Jul 25, 2017

Besides the fact that Cruise and McGillis had no real romantic chemistry, it's the perfect action film. Loved the relationship between Skerrit and Cruise, and the flying is incredible.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

Craftnight405

Apr 11, 2023

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Top Gun gilt, als ein Klassiker im Actiongenre. Ist sein guter Ruf, jedoch gerechtfertig? Für mich persönlich nicht, aber ich kann nachvollzieh, dass es viele Fans von diesem Film gibt. Für mich ist der Film an vielen Stellen zu klischeehaft und zu kitschig. Wie Maverick in die Akademie kommt ist nur durch Zufall passiert. Er kann sich alles erlauben, generell dürfen alle Fehler machen ohne bestraft zu werden. Die Liebesgeschichte ist richtig klischeehaft und ich finde sie eher witzig, als schön. Der Soundtrack mit den Songs ist übertrieben und stört, obwohl es geile Lieder sind. Der Film macht Spaß, aber ist nicht wirklich **** in vielen Fällen. Die Flugszenen sind verwirrend und ich verstehe nicht viel davon. Der Film sorgt für eine gute Unterhaltung, trotz einiger Probleme. Die emotionalen Momente funktionieren gut und werden mit passender Musik untermalt. Maveriks Charakter entwickelt sich innerhalb des Filmes von einem Angeber, zu einem Mann, welcher den Verlust seines Partners verkraften muss und wieder zu alter Stärke finden muss. Diese Momente machen den Film besser und sind die besten Momente im Film. Das Ende ist leider wiederum klischeehaft und nichts besonderes. Der Film ist aufjedenfall schaubar. Man sieht zwar das die Effekte schlecht gealtert sind.

7/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

akshatmahajan

Oct 17, 2020

Top Gun had a story which had a lot of potential. The plot is as cheesy as any movie. After you watch the movie for a while, the story will fade but the feel and the mode of the movie is what keeps you interacted. The soundtrack was nice and aircraft scenes were nicely shot. The negativeTop Gun had a story which had a lot of potential. The plot is as cheesy as any movie. After you watch the movie for a while, the story will fade but the feel and the mode of the movie is what keeps you interacted. The soundtrack was nice and aircraft scenes were nicely shot. The negative thing about the movie was it's story. It was too simple and over-stretched. It could have been made much better. This is movie which you may enjoy at cinema but not that at home. Overall, you should give this movie a try especially those who love airforce.… Expand

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

Kai82

Jun 20, 2022

This movie has become a cult class for many. Others like me don't see the appeal. To be fair it has great actors and a compelling story but it goes a bit too much in the Navy advertising direction for me. Also between the highlights I was bored by the movie. Roger Ebert said in his reviewThis movie has become a cult class for many. Others like me don't see the appeal. To be fair it has great actors and a compelling story but it goes a bit too much in the Navy advertising direction for me. Also between the highlights I was bored by the movie. Roger Ebert said in his review something like “The good scenes are amazing but the weaker once were unbearable”. It might sound to harsh as the movie is no failure. I see a lot of things that could win me over like showing weakness and overcoming it or character development. After the introduction scene the movie is about the pilot Pete Mitchell nickname Maverick and other remarkable pilots who enter the United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program that is familiar know as TOPGUN. This is in short a real life flight school for aerial combat and tactics. It was developed after the failings in air combat during the Vietnam war were investigate as the US pilots did not gain notable advantages and hundreds of aircraft's were lost. It is about character development, relationships, growth and overcoming hurdles beside flying aircraft's. In this regard it got me hooked but like I said the Navy and military advertisement is to overburdened for me. Also there are some weaker segments I would fast forward or forget. It is like multiple courses of meal but you dislike some in between. Then there are the actors. This movie has a cast of really famous actors. Some at the beginning of their careers or not that famous back then. The main actors Tom Cruise and Kelly Mc Gills fully deliver and I praise both of them. The additional cast works also really well with an excellent Val Kilmer to give credit were credit is deserved. Also Meg Ryan, Anthony Edwards and many others were good. A fine overall performance. The visuals and flight scenes are amazing and I see why it captured so many people. Even I who was not that much into this was impressed. The soundtrack is legendary and the tracks “Danger Zone” and even more “Take my Breath away” became hits and are played even today in the radio from time to time. Overall this is not my taste and I am not seeing it as cult classic like others do. However it is a must see movie as others will be shocked if you did not see the movie. Be warned to not criticize it as other take this as insult even when they agree that some parts are weaker.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ggolding

Jul 8, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Out of all the films that came out in 1986, why was Top Gun the most popular? Regardless of my own personal opinion of the film (which is quite obviously a low one), I kind of understand the draw. If I had reviewed Top Gun at the time it came out I would have probably been taken aback by the stunning aerial cinematography done during the dogfights. At the time I would have praised the film much more heavily than I am now due to our current ability to do these shots with much more ease than we had before. The film was impressive due to the limitations of the time. A factor that would move it up to a one out of 10 for me if that was all I liked about the film. I have to admit that the film's soundtrack is, for the most part, well done with suiting music for each scene. Kenny Loggins provides the film's main theme with the song "Danger Zone" (which would later rise to fame again through the animated show "Archer"). But this is where my praise for Top Gun ends.

Top Gun is a terrible film when watched as anything other than a two-hour-long advertisement for the US Military, more specifically the air force. The script is a male power fantasy that over-glorifies war. It portrays all women as emotionally weaker than men, even those that hold positions of power over men. Maverick got the girl by not taking no for an answer and being over-confident in himself. The script was terrible to the point where I started laughing halfway through the film because of how forced some of the lines were. There was an overly forced romance between Maverick and his instructor while most of the chemistry was focused on Maverick and Goose to the point where they play what I can only describe as a porn song over a serious scene of the two talking. I thought they were going to get it on because the moment seemed so right for it to happen.

There are better military films. There are better military academy films. And there are better actions films. The only reason I'd suggest watching the film is to see what a hilariously terrible blunder it was in the careers of all three Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Tim Robbins… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

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