March 31, 2005 - Top Gun Revisited

Back in 1986, when I was an impressionable 15-year old teenager, I went to see a little movie called Top Gun. Stepping out of the theater, I couldn't decide who I should have the bigger crush on - Tom Cruise or Val Kilmer. Never mind that the movie was in essence a two-hour long commercial for the American Navy. That wasn't important back then. What was important were the facts that it featured two seriously hot guys, a scorching soundtrack, and some adrenaline-inducing fligth sequences.

So last night - maybe out of boredom, maybe out of a sudden notion to recapture a bit of my teenage years - I watched the movie on HBO again.

Most of all, I was surprised. Almost 20 years after its debut, the movie still held an unexpected amount of appeal. Yes, it's still a very long ad for the Navy. Yes, the story line is still a bit thin, banking mostly on the charm of its actors, the heart-pumping soundtrack, and the testosterone-laced, mind-blowing, through-the-air-hurling-at-6-Gs action scenes.

But - I found myself gripping my chair during the turbulent (and very effective) flight sequences. I tapped my foot to the energetic tunes of such as oldies-but-goldies as Cheap Trick, Miami Sound Machine, and yes, Kenny Loggins. And I surprised myself by seriously enjoying the eye-candy that were Cruise and Kilmer back then - so beautiful and glorious in the splendor of their youth.

Although I was tired, I watched the movie to its very end. I even watched the credits. And I remembered an old work collegue who had told tales of being an extra in the movie, during his time with the Navy at Miramar.

I admit to having had a serious flashback to my teenage years. But I also found that I really enjoyed seeing the movie again. Because good movies never lose their appeal, and they never die. And - I still can't decide who to have the bigger crush on: the 20-something Cruise or Kilmer.