Hubby and I watched the original this afternoon – the first time I’d seen it since…the mid 90’s? Maybe? It’s been a while – and I have a few thoughts about the new movie. No spoilers, really, since everything I’m referencing has been shown in the trailers.
First, I don’t believe for a second that Maverick wasn’t around for Goose’s family. Maverick lost his own father at a comparable age to Goose’s son (Rooster), and the man we saw in that movie wouldn’t want anyone else to go through that alone, without support. Therefore, I have to believe that Goose’s widow (Carol) turned bitter toward Maverick over the years, despite Goose’s death not being Maverick’s fault.
Which brings up a side point – on rewatch, it’s clear that Goose’s death is Iceman’s fault. Maverick was telling Iceman to get out of the way because he (Maverick) had a shot. Iceman kept at it (“twenty more seconds and I’ve got him” – then “ten more second” – then “five more seconds”), and when he finally broke away, Maverick got caught in his jetwash.
If Iceman had broken off before, rather than trying for a shot he couldn’t get, it’s highly likely that he would have used a different, less severe, maneuver to break off, which means Maverick wouldn’t have been caught in his jetwash and, therefore, Goose wouldn’t have died.
Second, I do absolutely believe that Iceman would rise through the ranks to become, if I read correctly, CINCPAC – Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet.
Third, it’s annoying when, in the trailer for the new movie, Maverick says, “I’m not a teacher.” In the original movie, when Maverick was offered his choice of assignments, he said he wanted to be an instructor.
Now, maybe they’ll explain the dialogue in the movie itself – it wouldn’t even be that hard: “I tried teaching, but I was too young, too hotheaded. It didn’t work out.” But absent some kind of explanation, that bit of dialogue from the trailer seems to thumb its nose at the original movie.
Fourth, on rewatch, the romance between Maverick and Charlie was absolutely unnecessary to the story. Neither character changed as a result of it, and I found myself thinking that the only good part of that romance was that we got “Take My Breath Away” out of it.
None of this is to say that I’m not looking forward to Top Gun: Maverick – I am very much looking forward to it! It was just interesting to watch the original again as preparation.
