It looked like Star Wars on Earth': the making of Top Gun at 40

"They look at him and they don't know who Tom Cruise is, recalls screenwriter Jack Epps Jr. They do what they like to do: they took him up, they shook him around, he barfed on himself, and he came out and said, I love this.' From that moment, he was on. Cruise's experience that day with the Blue Angels, the US navy's premier flight demo squadron, would inspire him to become a licensed pilot."

"Top Gun charts reckless navy pilot Maverick's rivalry with Iceman (Val Kilmer), romance with instructor Charlie (Kelly McGillis) and guilt over the death of co-pilot Goose (Anthony Edwards) in a training accident. He is sent on a dangerous rescue mission, saves Iceman and gains redemption, with Iceman telling him: You can be my wingman anytime."

"The high-testosterone slice of Ronald Reagan-era Americana with a homoerotic game of beach volleyball thrown in made 23-year-old Cruise a star and drove a spike in military enlistment; the navy even set up recruitment tables in cinemas. It eventually spawned a hit sequel in 2022, with a third instalment now on the way."

"It all began in 1983 when Bruckheimer was flicking through the May issue of California magazine. Top Guns read a headline, with a big photo from inside the cockpit of an F-14 fighter jet. The article began: At Mach 2 and 40,000 feet over California, it's always high noon. Speaking from Los Angeles, Bruckheimer, 82, recalls: I saw the magazine article and it looked like Star Wars on Earth and I threw it to my partner, Don Simpson, and then he called in one of our executi"

A young actor rode in with US Navy pilots and experienced high-speed flight with the Blue Angels, leading him to say he loved it and pursue piloting. That experience helped shape his path toward becoming a licensed pilot and later starring as Maverick in Top Gun. The film follows Maverick’s rivalry with Iceman, romance with instructor Charlie, and guilt over co-pilot Goose’s death, culminating in a dangerous rescue mission and redemption. The movie’s Reagan-era Americana tone, including beach volleyball, made Cruise a major star and increased military enlistment, with recruitment tables placed in cinemas. The franchise later returned with a 2022 sequel and a third installment planned.

Read at www.theguardian.com