By Heidi Hamm
Top Gun flew into movie theaters in May of 1986. That’s 31 years ago, people. 31 years. For those of you who remember watching it on the big screen, I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.
I, for one, was…never mind. Let’s just say I was old enough to have a poster of Maverick (aka Tom Cruise) plastered to the back of my bedroom door and leave it at that. I also owned the soundtrack on cassette tape and listened to it about a billion times on my Walkman until the stupid thing decided to eat it. It’s possible I’m still a bit bitter about that.
For those of you who were too young to see the movie or, God forbid, not even born yet, or have been living under a rock for the past 35+ years, drop what you are doing and fire it up on Netflix. Go. Go now. I’m not even kidding. It’s a pop culture classic, one of the greatest movies of my generation. Okay, possibly not. But still, hot men in uniform; hot, shirtless men playing beach volleyball; hot men doing crazy jet fighter flight scenes. What’s not to love? Oh, and who can forget the one-liners:
Goose: “Great balls of fire!”
Carole: “Take me to bed or lose me forever.”
Ice Man: “You can be my wingman anytime.”
Maverick: “It’s classified. I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”
Did I mention it’s a classic?
For all the fans who never lost that lovin’ feeling, this one is for you. When asked about the possibility of Top Gun 2 in an interview with Australia’s Sunrise Morning Show, Tom Cruise responded with “It’s true.” He went on to say, “I’m going to start filming it probably in the next year. I know. It’s definitely happening.”
It’s happening.
There are rumors that the movie will be based on drones. In a 2014 interview with HuffPost Live, Jerry Bruckheimer told the interviewer, “The concept is, basically, are the pilots obsolete because of drones? Cruise is going to show them that they’re not obsolete. The pilots are here to stay.”
While Tom Cruise is clearly excited by the prospect and Val Kilmer is tweeting that he is more than ready to slip back into the cockpit as Ice Man, I’m feeling a bit conflicted about it.
Mostly, I’m just feeling old. Like 30-ish years too old. And wondering, how is it even possible that Top Gun has been around this long? How have I been around this long? I’m also wondering, are the actors who were in the original movie feeling old too?
Clearly Tom Cruise isn’t. He’s still doing his own stunts and looks like he just walked off the set of the first Top Gun movie. He is the veritable poster boy for the fountain of youth. And Val? He’s tweeting, “Still got the moves! Still got it!” Guess he wasn’t kidding about the whole wingman thing.
But are some things best left in the past? Back when I watched the Top Gun tape over and over again on a Betamax machine? Back when I kissed my first boyfriend while it played in the background? Back when I had hair as permed and Aqua-Net-sprayed as Kelly McGillis?
Possibly. But when Top Gun 2 does come out? I’ll probably be first in line for tickets. Call me nostalgic.
*****
About the Author
Heidi Hamm is a writer, wife and mom of twin boys with the alter egos of the Hulk and Spiderman and their older sister, who is in training to rule a small (or large) country someday. She has been published on Sammiches and Psych Meds, Scary Mommy and Mamalode. You can also find her on Facebook.