In 1986, "Top Gun" was a sensation. It was not only a commercial carnival, but also a victory for the US military recruiting. Apart from these superficial factors, let's analyze it in detail. <1> First of all, both are air combat themes. If "Pearl Harbor" is a war romance film, then "Top Gun" is a growth film. Mitchell was a bohemian and flew over the conning tower four times (sympathize with the officer's frightened coffee),
He flew fighter jets by instinct, and was a natural pilot with unstoppable vigour. This is even more true after joining top gun. His goal is to surpass Bingzi, defeat the boss, and catch up with the female instructor. However, his impatience caused his fighter plane to suffer an unexpected situation, and his correspondent, Duo Ge, died of a jumping accident because of this, and the second male lead in the film came to an end.
This incident brought a huge blow to Mitchell. If he was a newborn tiger before, he became a cowering lamb after the death of the goose. He couldn't fire even when the bandit was at a good angle. Huge guilt ripped apart his self-confidence. But don't worry, it's part of growing up. When his comrades needed him, Mitchell stood up. In the fierce air battle, he rescued Bingzi and returned with honor. This film is like telling the transformation of an eagle, from impatience to calm, from individual to team, from loneliness to self-confidence.
After talking about the emotional aspects, let's talk about the technical aspects of the film. The highlight of the day is the excellent editing (it's an Oscar nominee for best editing, after all), especially the aerial battle scenes. Pull up, turn sideways, brake hard, lock up, shoot down. This tight and tense action must be complemented by fast and detailed editing to present such an engaging battle scene for us. It has to be said that multiple camera positions are set up on the fighter jets, which brings a sufficiently comprehensive perspective to the audience, which is better than the only two-position aerial combat shots in "Dunkirk". And the details in the film are also elegant enough, like the aircraft carrier style of the staff, with the word "professional".
<3> In terms of actors, the casting of this film is also accurate enough. Give Tom Cruise a pair of goggles and gloves and no one can doubt that he can climb the Burj Khalifa (Mission Impossible 4); give him a wig and foundation and he can really suck blood. The combination of a heroic pilot and a beautiful instructor, a hero and a beautiful woman is also a tried-and-true model of success (by the way, there is also an interesting supporting role, referring to the dumb goose).
〈4〉 In addition, there are many hints in the film. First, in the title, the jaguar pilot who was frightened and panicked after encountering the MiG fighter jet had to retire due to psychological reasons. The spirit of Mitchell also paved the way for Mitchell's subsequent loss of self-confidence. Second, the commander told Mitchell that his father once chose to return to the battlefield to save three friendly troops when he could safely return to the base. In the film, after Mitchell returned to the aircraft carrier, he resolutely took off to help the jaguar land, which is more similar.
Thirdly, the carnival of the goose and his family in the pub also paved the way for his death, just like the carnival of the family in the villa in "Parasite", or the beach play in "The Thief Family" , after joy comes misfortune.
In conclusion, protecting love in the face of war is "Pearl Harbor"; pursuing growth in the cold war is "Top Gun".
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