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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 2.10:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer (RSDL 58:58)
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • French: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • German: Dolby Digital Stereo
  • Italian: Dolby Digital Stereo
  Subtitles
    English, French, German, Greek, English - Hearing Impaired, Finnish, German - Hearing Impaired
  Extras

    Top Gun

    Paramount/Paramount . R4 . COLOR . 105 mins . PG . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    According to the information mentioned in the film's prologue, the Fighter Weapons School was established on March 3, 1969, with the intention of teaching United States Air Force pilots the principles of air-to-air combat. With the introduction of long-range air-to-air missiles in Korea and Vietnam, the USAF was alarmed to learn that their pilots' ordnance skills were declining - due to their reliance on the new military technology which allowed them to destroy an enemy aircraft from a distance of several miles.

    Based at Fightertown, California, the Fighter Weapons School - which soon earned the moniker 'Top Gun' by the students who attended it - sought to remedy this situation by selecting the premium one percent of pilots in the USAF and make them even more efficent through the tuition of close-quarter dogfighting techniques.

    Inspired by an article 'Top Guns' (written by Ehud Yonay and featured in California Magazine), producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson decided that the material would provide the basis for a commercially successful adrenaline-charged, testosterone-injected action film - one that would shatter box-office records and become one of the seminal films of the 1980s.

    Both Bruckheimer and Simpson had collaborated together on Flashdance and Beverly Hills Cop, but it was the box-office triumph of Top Gun which brought them to the attention of international audiences, and fortified their reputation as the most successful production team in cinematic history.

    "I feel the need... the need for speed."

    In one of his most definitive roles, Tom Cruise is Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell, an instinctively talented Naval fighter pilot with a severe disciplinary problem that often sees him - and his sidekick, Lieutenant Nick 'Goose' Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) - being reprimanded by their superiors.

    During a routine patrol mission, Maverick and his wingman, Cougar (John stockwell), encounter a pair of MiG-28s flying within their carrier's exclusion zone. (In reality, there is no such designation for a Russian warplane, and in the film they are portrayed by Northrop F-4 II Tigers). In their constant game of brinkmanship, both the USAF and their conveniently unnamed antagonists taunt each other in a tense battle of nerves.

    In this instance, Cougar becomes unravelled when one of the MiG pilots not only outmanoeuvres him, but threatens to shoot him down. Realising that his profession carries with it the risk of making his wife a widow and his son an orphan, Cougar resigns from his position as the highest-ranked pilot in his squadron. In doing so, Cougar finally allows Maverick the opportunity to pursue his life-long ambition - to attend the Top Gun Academy, located at Miramar, Fightertown.

    Once there, Maverick swiftly establishes a bitter rivalry with the egotistical Tom 'Iceman' Kazanski (Val Kilmer), who considers Maverick to be a detrimental influence to the safety of his fellow wingmen. Iceman believes Maverick to be too reckless and hot-headed. Maverick has to contend not only with Iceman's prejudicial attitudes, but also the haunting memory that his late father - a fighter pilot - had caused the accidental death of a colleague through negligence.

    In between all of this, Maverick captures the attentions of Charlotte 'Charlie' Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), a civil aviation expert and astrophysicist. Intrigued with the report of Maverick's confrontation with the MiG-28s, Charlie decides to delve deeper into the matter and, rather predictably, falls in love with him.

      Video
    Contract

    Although Top Gun was originally filmed in Super 35 and released with a theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1, it is presented here in the cropped ratio of 2.00:1, and is anamorphic. I do not condone the treatment of needlessly cutting the film's widescreen ratio, as I consider it to be nothing short of blantant butchery.

    Blacks are impenetrable and are very solid - like midnight in a coal mine. Flesh-tones are natural, and there is no colour bleeding or over-saturation. Indeed, the scenes featuring the carrier's bridge - bathed in a garish and lurid colour palate of red, blue, and green - were hideously bad on VHS and prone to extensive chroma noise. However, these scenes are gloriously refined on DVD.

    Picture detail is extremely sharp - in some cases, like a Wiltshire steak knife. There are no apparent MPEG artifacts, although there are several instances of film artifacts. I found them to be quite minimal and not obtrusive.

    The major weakness of this transfer is the amount of grain it exhibits, giving rise to the suspicion that it has not been digitally remastered and suggests that Paramount, in its perverse wisdom, has simply used the laserdisc masters and transfered them to DVD. If this is the case, then it would explain a great many things - as I shall now elaborate.

    Minor grain is present throughout the film's trademark opening scene with lower-light areas being the most susceptible - most of this sequence takes place at dawn which, in effect, allows the grain to betray its presence. In the instances involving close-ups of a F-14 Tomcat taxiing along the carrier deck, the grain is quite abundant. Again, it is not obtrusive - but you know that it is there. Grain is also very noticeable in the volleyball scene featured in Chapter 14.

    During the film's electrifying flight sequences, some slight grain can again be seen. However, it is of no concern - unless you are extremely critical, most viewers will probably not even notice it. I should make special mention of the sharpness of the skies and cloud formations - these could have posed serious problems with the MPEG compression, yet this DVD meets the challenge with great aplomb.

    The layer transition occurs at 58:58 as Maverick laments the loss of his late father. The change is somewhat jarring, but it is logically placed at the end of Chapter 18.

      Audio
    Contract

    There are two audio selections - the English Dolby Digital 5.1, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround which features European dubbing.

    Naturally positioned in the centre speaker, dialogue is always clear and easy to understand. In certain scenes - for example, in the bar room where Maverick serenades Charlie with an unique rendition of You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling - the dialogue encompasses the entire front soundstage. I did not detect any low-level noise, other than some minute distortion in the aforementioned volleyball scene.

    The rear surrounds are used primarily for discreet audio, such as background music, and ambient noise. Needless to say, the sound field comes into its own during the aerial shots.

    Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I felt slightly cheated at the film's intro, which is certainly one of the most exhilarating sequences ever put to celluloid. I was anticipating to hear the roars of the Tomcats' afterburners cannonading from the rear surrounds and pinning me down into the confines of my chair. Sadly, this was not the case - as the front soundstage seemed to bear the brunt of the assault.

    This is not indicative of the remainder of the film, as Top Gun provides some stunning split-surround effects - the notable examples include the initial confrontation with the MiG-28s as they make their frontal pass between Maverick and Cougar, and Maverick's low-level buzzes of the flight control towers. In these scenes, the jet washes and sonic booms succeed in creating an intense aural experience for the viewer.

    The subwoofer receives a great amount of punishment, and provides some heavy resonance during the action sequences - seemingly with the ability to create severe seismic damage, with your house serving as the epicentre. Surprisingly though, it also contributes much to the emotional impact of Take My Breath Away, (Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song) with its beautifully restrained bass modulation.

    All in all, this DVD has an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix.

      Extras
    Contract

    None. Not even a single, solitary trailer. If ever there was a missed opportunity, this it it. A documentary on either the making of Top Gun, or an informative history on the formation of the Fighter Weapons School would have complemented the film perfectly.

      Overall  
    Contract

    Without a doubt, Top Gun's greatest assets are the spectacular aerial combat scenes. The fact that both Chris Lebenzon and Billy Weber received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing is ample indication of their stunning achievements. Put simply, Top Gun contains some of the most exciting dogfights seen since The Bridges of Toko-Ri and Firefox.

    But Top Gun's strength also exposes its mortal weakness. There is practically no story here - certainly, not one of real substance. The film's plot and characters are nothing more than dated caricatures of the repellent brashness and militaristic fervour that was typical of the Reaganist era. And the undercurrent romance between Cruise and McGillis is unconvincing, showing the complete lack of chemistry between them.

    To some, Top Gun is the perfect bubblegum film, but I prefer my films to be more confrontational, in-depth, and substantial than this effort. No doubt there are fans who will crucify me for saying this - Top Gun can only be recommended for the flying sequences alone.


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      And I quote...
    "One of the seminal films of the 1980s..."
    - Shaun Bennett
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Panasonic SC-HT80
    • TV:
          Panasonic TX-43P15 109cm Rear Projection
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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