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I probably won't see the 3D version since my eyes can't sense the 3D all that much. Besides, things just look darker anyway with the glasses on.

As for the film itself, I enjoyed it for what it was, about two hours of entertainment. Granted the definition of "entertainment" has changed a little bit over the years, but I do still like popping it in on occassion since it was a nice milestone of aviation photography and film making (and stunt pilot Art Scholls gave his life trying to film footage for it).

And, it also provided inspiration for another film with provided inspiration for a model I built last year...

fingnat1.jpg

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"And, it also provided inspiration for another film with provided inspiration for a model I built last year..."

So Jay, that was you!

I saw your build a while ago... When airfix put out that kit, i immediately had that same idea! Driving to the movies i even mentioned your build to my brother... Lol

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I saw the movie in IMAX 2 days ago. General impressions are:

  • I was disappointed, although not really surprised, that the picture quality wasn't a lot better. In this day of super resolution digital images, I guess I'm spoiled. I'm sure they did the best they could with the film available.
  • 3D was quite good. It wasn't gimicky with stuff flying at your head, etc., but it did add to the realism of the movie.
  • The sound rocked! Very good- and I bet they added quite a bit that wasn't in the original movie.
  • The story still has tons of flaws that have thrashed to death already, but with the jet scenes, bare chests for the girls to ogle and a "Rah,Rah USA" story line, you can see how it was so successful. In spite of all the barbs about the acting, I thought it was still quite good by today's standards.
  • The music track is still PERFECT for this movie.
  • With the huge screen, I noticed a lot more "tongue action" in the love scenes between Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis. I've seen this movie at least 30 times and I never noticed so much tongue hockey. Yes, I know, Kelly has since realized that she belongs to the other team, but she was still hot way back then.
  • The F-14's were amazingly dirty in the flight scenes. I love it!
  • The very best flight scene, to me, is the two F-14's flying away after take off in the last minute or so of them movie. I'm usually shutting the movie down by then, but if you're forced to watch the ending, the wait is worth it.
  • Having watched the movie so many times, I tried to not look at the characters all time and I reviewed the rest of the picture frame for things that I might have missed before. I found a lot, which added to the interest in this re-tread of a movie.
  • I highly recommend seeing it for those who haven't.

Cheers,

Chuck

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I saw the movie in IMAX 2 days ago. General impressions are:

[*]I was disappointed, although not really surprised, that the picture quality wasn't a lot better. In this day of super resolution digital images, I guess I'm spoiled. I'm sure they did the best they could with the film available.

Cheers,

Chuck

Just an FYI. 35mm movie film has all be it debatable more than twice the resolution of the typical digital imagery used in movies today. Not only that but it has much more dynamic range and colour depth. I suggest the quality you noted here would be more akin to poor analogue to digital transfer and by going to a fake 3D look that only exacerbates the shortfall.

Even 4K digital is behind the 35mm movie film used in the past. Of course poor and improper storage of movie film would likely affect its quality over time.

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I noticed a blooper that I'd never seen before. Right after the volleyball scene, when he goes to Charlie's house to eat dinner, they put the wrong clip in. When he drives off on his motorcycle, you can see the "For Rent" sign in the yard. That should have been near the end of the movie.

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I noticed a blooper that I'd never seen before. Right after the volleyball scene, when he goes to Charlie's house to eat dinner, they put the wrong clip in. When he drives off on his motorcycle, you can see the "For Rent" sign in the yard. That should have been near the end of the movie.

The bloopers are never ending if you read the following. I read a few but don't really want to read the rest, because the few I know about already bug me every time I see them!

http://www.moviemistakes.com/film1312

Edited by chuck540z3
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I noticed a blooper that I'd never seen before. Right after the volleyball scene, when he goes to Charlie's house to eat dinner, they put the wrong clip in. When he drives off on his motorcycle, you can see the "For Rent" sign in the yard. That should have been near the end of the movie.

Without reading Chucks next post, I saw that too. But I saw one more blooper, at the end of the Volleyball scene when Cruise is putting on his jacket and leaving there are a pair of red cowboy boots there. I was wondering where the hell did they come from? In the dinner scene inside Charlie's house we see those boots once again. They are Charlie's!

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My favorite aspect of the movie these days is the fact that instructors at its real-life namesake get fined for even obliquely referencing it or quoting it. Our CDO desk was over in their building (as opposed to the one I normally worked in), and one day when I had duty I was able to get one of them fined twice in 30 seconds. Didn't even know the line he uttered was from the movie till someone popped up from the other side of the cubicle farm to say "THAT'S A FINE!"

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My favorite aspect of the movie these days is the fact that instructors at its real-life namesake get fined for even obliquely referencing it or quoting it. Our CDO desk was over in their building (as opposed to the one I normally worked in), and one day when I had duty I was able to get one of them fined twice in 30 seconds. Didn't even know the line he uttered was from the movie till someone popped up from the other side of the cubicle farm to say "THAT'S A FINE!"

Excellent! That's the kind of policy that makes sense at a fighter unit. Makes way more sense to me than banning the use of certain words within the Eagle community... (i.e. it's not OK to say 'head'). That leads to silliness like "so if you're killed, you 'cranium' over to the mort locker".

At least the real Top Guns have enough professionalism to make sure the movie's mystique doesn't go to their heads. Oops! There's that word...

ALF

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Saw it this weekend. Boy it's been a while. I agree with chuck that some of the best 3D movies may be the ones that were never meant to be 3D. besides the obvious air to air scenery the best 3D shot for me in the Movie was Maverick in the cockpit after Gooses death, and the camera zooming in- If your into that symbolism stuff (and I am)- the Canopy frames in 3d make cruise look as though he is trapped, and the background is far away, he looks lonely and lost, which is exactly what they are going for, so 3d actually took a pretty simple shot and really added to it.

For as much as I give this movie a hard time, the pace is surprisingly slow when it needs to be. It actually takes its time in a few scenes. Mav talking to charlie was one of those ever rarer, action movie/quiet reflection scenes as he remembers playing the same song for his mom after his dad orphaned them. I had forgotten that scene and wasn't expecting the monologue. the camera pretty much stays with cruise, you just listen to the actor tell a story, rather than queuing the black and white flashbacks. (there are good cases for flashbacks too, don't get me wrong, I'm just surprised to see a really simple scene like that)

the instructors are strict, but not cruel, even Mavs CO who threatens to have him flying an airplane out of hong kong gives him a verbal berating... and then knowing he did help cougar, and tried to do the right thing, doesn't punish him. he even back handedly rewards him, wishes him luck and later tells Iceman whatevs when he tries to have Mav moved off alert 5 at the end. Again if you are into that symbolism stuff, Mav never had a dad growing up but he has many surrogate fathers that put up with his teenager antics, and in the end he grows up.

the Top Gun class. after the final battle, I assume there was a top down review of exactly what is being taught at Miramar. The average student is shot down, the top graduate barely survives and the guy who barely graduated bags 4 MiGs.

And I can't believe I took the time to write such positive things about Top Gun. I need a drink.

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