In mid August, the movie, Top Gun: Maverick officially passed the 1997 Oscar best film, Titanic, to become the 7th-highest grossing film ever at the domestic box office, just the latest record broken by this reboot of the 1986 classic. In an age of militant Hollywood films, conservatives have been quick to note that Maverick’s success is due in large part to its unambiguous patriotism– as Elle Reynolds of The Federalist fame explained, the film is “nostalgia for American greatness.”
Actor Tom Cruise
Maverick’s cultural significance in 2022 is best understood in light of two previous films: the original 1986 Top Gun, and a lesser known but equally memorable 1982 film, An Officer and a Gentleman, which was released 40 years ago. Both films explore themes that are captured brilliantly in Maverick and are acutely relevant today; namely, the striving for individual excellence and the value of national achievement.
Richard Gere’s character in Officer and a Gentleman serves as an example of what it means to serve in the United States military – what it takes to carry out the sacred duty of serving a higher cause. Top Gun showcased the vision of individual and national greatness of the Reagan era. We learned at the beginning of the original movie, and its sequel, that Tom Cruise’s Maverick is at Top Gun Aviation School because he is “the best of the best.” who put their lives on the line to defend their nation and their fellow citizens from harm.
Fast-forward to 2022, Maverick’s stunning box office success shows good patriotic storytelling –is what American moviegoers want to see. Condensed article courtesy of AMAC.