TOM CRUISE MOVIE REVIEW: For the final movie review for June 2015, I watched “Top Gun” which stars Tom Cruise (Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion), Kelly McGillis (Witness, The Accused), Anthony Edwards (ER [TV series], Zodiac), Val Kilmer (Heat, Batman Forever), Tom Skerritt (Alien, Picket Fences [TV series]), Michael Ironside (Total Recall [1990], Smallville [TV series]), John Stockwell (Into the Blue, Breaking the Girls), Barry Tubb (Temple Grandin, American Outlaws), Rick Rossovich (The Terminator, Roxanne), Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption, War of the Worlds [2005]), Clarence Gilyard Jr. (Die Hard, Matlock [TV series]), Whip Hubley (Coneheads, Executive Decision), James Tolkan (Back to the Future, Underworld [1996]), and Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle). It is directed by Tony Scott (Days of Thunder, Unstoppable). When Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise), a Lieutenant United States Naval Aviator, gets accepted into Top Gun Naval Flying School, his whole life changes. Only the top 1% of flyers get accepted in, making it a huge honor. Maverick tries his hardest to be the best of his class to win a chance to train others at the school, all the while meeting the woman of his dreams, Charlie (McGillis). With these new experiences come a price, affecting Maverick for the rest of his life which could hurt his career in flying for good.

I’ve been wanting to see this movie for a while because of how it is one of Tom Cruise’s most talked about films. It is considered a classic and I think after watching it, I would agree. The plot of this film is very interesting, having never seen anything like it in the sense of a film surrounding Naval Aviators. It does have information that only people who study this work force or actually work in it would understand, but it isn’t so much that I am out of the loop. That can be a plus for viewers who knew what they talk about. This film understands how to change its mood as well, starting off on such a happy tone to suddenly turn into a sad one halfway through. I think what gives this movie its kick are the characters. It is fun to watch Maverick and Goose (Edwards) goof around with their friends in their personal lives. It’s what gives the viewer something to connect to, making it an enjoyable experience. Along with the characters came the acting, which I thought was done well. Tom Cruise never disappoints and the rest of the cast also held their own. Val Kilmer offered a distasteful “villain” whom I liked to root against and Kelly McGillis portrayed a great love interest whom is very likable. With all of this said, I would believe the only other pro I have left to say about this film is the action scenes in the jets. I do admit that some of them are confusing to tell what is going on, but overall they are extremely well-directed and it felt realistic. I’m pretty sure everything was really with no CGI involved, but I wouldn’t know for sure (just guessing around the time this movie came out). Now onto the cons. On the top of my head, I can only generate two. The first would be the beginning. Like my previous review for “Inside Out” (2015), the beginning took a while to gain momentum. Once Maverick got adjusted to the Top Gun School and met Charlie the story began to pick up. Other than that, the last con is rather minor, but mentionable. The musical score of this movie, especially one song, can become a pet peeve at times. It is basically a romance cue for the audience to know that Charlie and Maverick are having a moment. It chimes in about six to seven times throughout the movie and it ends up making the scenes feel like something off of a soap opera. I liked it at first, but after the second time it got old, making the scenes feel over-dramatic. Overall, this film is very lovable and fun to watch any day either by yourself or with the whole family. I would recommend anyone to try this movie out! FINAL SCORE: 79%= Juicy Popcorn

This movie’s score has been altered. It does not affect the Juicy Awards for 2015. After taking into consideration how campy this film is and how I laugh thinking about certain scenes, I could not live with giving it a 90%. It is still enjoyable and fun, however.

Here is the trailer: