Loree “Rowdy” Draude, Who Was One of the First Women to Fly Combat Jets for the US Navy, Got an Early Look at the Epic Sequel
As a former naval aviator who flew the F/A-18 Hornet in an aggressor squadron, I have a love/hate relationship with the original Top Gun movie. It’s technically horrific for many aviation-related reasons, primarily because actual aerial combat and missile shots are not cinematically compelling. The flying sequences in the movie were cringe-worthy for naval aviators to watch, but dang it, they were exciting for a movie audience. The dialogue is cheesy and quote-worthy and it’s backed up by a spectacular soundtrack. What Gen X-er doesn’t recognize the first five notes of Kenny Loggin’s “Danger Zone?”
Expectations Abound
Going in to see Top Gun: Maverick, I expected the same formula that made the original Top Gun a success: young, hot, male aviators who all look similar trying to out-stud one another, a plot full of holes that we’re willing to overlook in the name of entertainment, a great soundtrack, and exciting (but forbidden IRL) aerial sequences.
Expectations Are Meant to Be Exceeded
I was pleasantly surprised by Top Gun: Maverick’s ability to evolve the formula to better represent 2020 (when the movie was supposed to be released). I was happy to see not just one, but three female aviators: two Top Gun graduates, and one E-2C NFO. Of the six Top Gun graduates who have speaking parts in the movie, half are white men and the other three are a woman, a Black pilot and a Hispanic WSO (Weapons Systems Operator).
Times Are Changing
I’m grateful Top Gun Maverick got the Bridgerton treatment and shows a more diverse representation of a world that is still underrepresented by women and people of color. As a midshipmen in NROTC, 30+ years ago, I had no female aviators to admire in the original Top Gun movie. I hope this more diverse representation will inspire underrepresented minorities to consider naval aviation as a viable career.
All That You Like About The Original- and Then Some
We still have the posturing and verbal swordfights among the younger aviators, like in the first movie, but I love how the relationship between Maverick and his nemesis, Iceman, evolves in Top Gun: Maverick. He even refers to him with the diminutive “Ice” in text exchanges. Overall, I appreciated Maverick’s emotional maturity throughout the film and the greater depth that Tom Cruise brings to the character, who is pushing 60 years old. The requisite shirtless sports event scene takes place playing football on a beach, rather than a sand volleyball court, and Cruise has no problem keeping up with the younger generation. In this movie, Maverick’s romantic interest is Penny Benjamin, played by Jennifer Connelly, a 51-year-old actress, who is age-appropriate except for her neck. As a 54-year-old woman, I can tell you, hers is the neck of a 30 year old, not someone in her 50s.
The Plot Thickens
The plot is slightly different, in that instead of competing for who is the best of the best at Navy Fighter Weapons School (aka Top Gun), the aviators are competing to see who is the best of the best of the best, meaning, which of these Top Gun graduates will be chosen to fly the impossible mission? And speaking of the mission, I wondered why the target couldn’t be taken out by the same missiles that were sent to destroy the enemy airfield, but then I realized this would be a 2-minute, boring movie instead of a 2+ hour thrill ride. I had to remind myself that this is not a documentary, and no one cares. We came to see Tom Cruise doing his pilot sh*t, so relax your expectations of a realistic plot and enjoy the ride.
A Winning Soundtrack
I loved the soundtrack to the original Top Gun movie and was disappointed that this movie only has two original songs, by Lady Gaga and One Republic. The rest are classics, including “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie, “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by the Who and “Danger Zone” from the original movie. I imagine Kenny Loggins swimming in royalty checks and lighting cigars with burning Benjamins (Franklin, not Penny).
The F-14 Tomcat Makes a Cameo
The venerable F-14 Tomcat makes a guest appearance and I felt my heart sigh. I never got to fly in a Tomcat, but they were my favorite jet to watch around the aircraft carrier. Seeing this beast of a jet fly again–even in 2-D on a movie screen–felt like magic.
Spectacular Flying Scenes
Speaking of magic, the flying sequences are spectacular. Once again, they are unrealistic and overly dramatic. For example, no naval aviator would ever fly through a section of jets like Maverick does, and if they did, it would be their last flight in the Navy. But in a movie, it looks super freaking cool!
Better Cameras = Better Visuals
The original movie used long external shots of the jets flying against each other, along with shots of the actors in a cockpit set with bland blue backgrounds. Not this time. Camera technology has improved (and downsized) to a point where the actors were able to film themselves as they flew in the back seat of two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets.
An Immersive Experience
The result is a more visceral experience of flying high-performance aircraft, especially if you see this in a theater with a high-quality sound system. The seats in our theater must have had subwoofers because I didn’t merely hear the jet engines, I felt them, as I had when I was flying.
Flashback Inducing Film
As a naval aviator watching this movie, I was frequently transported to my past. There were several times during the adrenaline-fueled flying sequences where I caught myself gripping my stomach and thigh muscles in a sympathetic anti-G-LOC (G-induced loss of consciousness) maneuver.
Call the Ball!
There is a shot behind the aircraft carrier, setting up for a landing, that was so clear that I felt I was back at ¾ of a mile, ready to call the ball. I literally sat up in my seat and leaned forward because the visual was so striking and real to me. This movie might be the closest that non-aviators come to flying in a fighter jet.
My Verdict: Top Gun is Worth the 36 Year Wait!
Top Gun: Maverick is a joy ride that honors the original juggernaut and surpasses it in quality, both visually and emotionally. The producers made the right call to wait two more years for theaters to be open again before releasing it- it really needs to be seen on a big screen. After seeing Top Gun Maverick, I can confirm it’s worth the 36-year wait.
