Top Gun (1986)

Get the older version

I bought both DVD's, the new Widescreen Special Collector's
Edition (which contains two discs), and the older 1998 DVD,
on a single disc. The newer version seems to have altered
the movie. In the newer version, when they are in the flight
school and Jester is giving a lecture, one of the pilots says,
He is giving me a "headache", whereupon Slider says, Don't
tempt me. But in the 1998 DVD, the line is, THIS is giving me
a "headache".

These days, with media content in digital format, old movies
can be altered. Profanity can be inserted, entire scenes added
or deleted. Which is the one true version? I don't like seeing
great art tampered with. As another example, how many versions
of Mona Lisa, or the Last Supper, are there? How can you determine
the original? Will you trust a particular publisher? How do you
know the name of the publisher has not been forged? You can store
a lot of writing in digital format on a computer, but how do you
know your computer will not be hacked into and content altered?

A lot of movies have been made which are politically subversive,
which the ruling classes would like to see abolished. If you think
this is paranoia, just look at the Bible publishing companies.
Intuitively, most people, I think realize that there is only one
correct English version. So where did all these other versions
of the Bible come from? Around 1970 and onwards, newer versions to
challenge the King James Version, were created. And there are even
different editions of the KJV Bible out there, changing spelling,
italics, punctuation marks, etc.

So, if you want to watch 'Top Gun', get the 1998 DVD, which I think
contains the movie audiences saw in the theatres. The new DVD
version does not seem to have the exact same movie as found on the
1998 DVD. The original movie appears to have been tampered with,
and altered. July 21, 2008

Tom Cruise at his Best

If you own an hd dvd player this is a must have for your collection. Great movie! Great Price! If you have a surround system with a DTS mode, select Dolby 6.1 DTS and be prepared to be blown away. July 7, 2008

Awesome

I feel the need, the need for speed !
This is perhaps the most important line in the entire movie which was later used in other movies and games.
TOP GUN is by far the best movie around dogfighting and war planes in general.
Maverick ( Tom Cruise ) although he is still young in the acting business performs admirably and makes a character that will never be forgot.
TOP GUN got a face lift in the HD-DVD version , the entire film looks a lot better and the sound is crystal clear. This movie is a must not only for collectors but for anyone that loves war planes and an adrenaline rush movie. June 23, 2008

Details of Blu-ray Special Collector's Edition due out July 29th, 2008

Top Gun is the kind of movie that can really benefit from hi-def treatment, with thrilling fighter jet acrobatics and vast shots of earth, sea, sky, and much smaller but still big enough things like aircraft carriers. The filmmakers took great care to achieve realism in some of its technical aspects while letting the plot fly high in typical Hollywood manner. The result is not only a solid mainstream blockbuster, but even for many who flinch at its implausibilities and plot cliches it qualifies as a guilty pleasure.

Tom Cruise is "Maverick," a hot shot Navy fighter pilot with attitude, haunted by the mysterious fate of his father, a Navy pilot shot down over Southeast Asia. Called up to the elite "Top Gun" Navy fighter pilots school, Maverick displays both his outstanding flying prowess and his character flaws, pulling off brave and foolhardy stunts (that would end the career of real fighter pilots), failing to be a team player, and wooing a beautiful woman (Kelly McGillis) who turns out to be one of his instructors. Then a tragic event causes him to lose his nerve. About to give up, and losing the girl, he learns the true fate of his father. Will he live up to his father's example or wash out?

Not everyone likes Tom Cruise (I think he's always been a fine actor), but even his detractors ought to admit he was well suited to this role, easily projecting an attractive but immature cockiness. The flight scenes are great fun, done to popular 80s rock that, with more romantic tunes like "Take My Breath Away," made the soundtrack a top seller. The plot cliches are cliches because they usually work, and they're effectively enough played out here.

The new Top Gun Blu-ray Special Collector's Edition will be full of special features from the 2004 2-disc standard definition Special Collector's Edition:

-- audio commentary by producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, screenwriter Jack Epps Jr., and Top Gun veterans Captain Mike Galpin (also flew for the movie), retired Admiral Pete Pettigrew and Vice Admiral Mike McCabe
-- Danger Zone: The Making Of Top Gun:
. . . "From The Ground Up--Pre-Production" (30 minutes)
. . . "Playing With The Boys--Production: Land And Seas" (27 minutes)
. . . "The Need For Speed--Production: Air" (28 minutes)
. . . "Back To Basics--Visual Effects" (17 minutes)
. . . "Combat Rock--The Music Of Top Gun (21 minutes)
. . . "Afterburn--Release and Impact" (24 minutes)
-- Best of the Best: Inside the Real Top Gun (28 minutes)
-- Behind the Scenes featurette (5 minutes)
-- Survival Training featurette (7 minutes)
-- Tom Cruise interviews (7 minutes)
-- multi-angle storyboards with optional commentary by director Tony Scott (2 scenes)
-- music videos:
. . . Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone"
. . . Berlin "Take My Breath Away"
. . . Loverboy "Heaven in Your Eyes"
. . . "Top Gun Anthem" (with guitarist Steve Stevens)
-- TV spots

The Best of the Best featurette, about the real US Navy Fighter Weapons School, appears to be new to Region 1, but was included in the 2004 Special Collector's Edition in other regions.

The film will be in its original 2.35:1 widescreen, at 1080p. The sound will be English Dolby TrueHD 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, and optional subtitles in English, English for the deaf and hard of hearing, French, Spanish, or Portuguese.

This movie was already released in HD at 1080p, so we should expect the new Blu-ray to be at least as good as that release. The video for the HD was generally praised, especially in comparison to the standard DVD, with new sharpness and detail, better and more saturated though not spectacular color, minor grain in some shots that was due to the original film grain, and some minor dust specs. The sound was also generally well received for a movie of its age, with lots of rear speaker activity and booming bass.

Looks like this should be a fine DVD, if you like the movie. June 8, 2008

An oldie, but...

I originally saw this in the theater, and when this movie first came out on VHS, I saw it on a neighbor's in-home theater system, and the sensation was beyond words (for the time).

Fast forward to DVD and today's theater technology, and this is still a great movie. But the addition of the second disk really makes this a great deal. The background of the film and the commentary from those Naval aviators who did the flying made this something I could not pass up.

I was lucky enough to get a ride in an F-4 and land on the USS Eisenhower in the '70s, and the term "postage stamp in the middle of the ocean" doesn't begin to describe what you see.

This is a great deal, and I recommend it to all.. June 7, 2008

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