Top Gun

The jets steal the show, and honestly, that's what I signed up for. The aerial stuff hits the sweet spot: enough intensity to keep you locked in, never so much that it numbs you out.

Cruise as Maverick, Kilmer as Iceman, Anthony Edwards as Goose, Skerritt as Viper. That's a stacked roster. Those four carry this thing on their backs, and they're the reason I'd happily sit through it again.

Not perfect, but the highs are high enough to forgive the rough patches.

The plot, though? Could've used another pass. It's serviceable, not memorable, and the editing gets choppy enough that I noticed, which is never a good sign. When I'm pulled out of the cockpit to wonder why a scene just jumped, you've lost me for a second.

Saw it with the family on the big screen and the theater absolutely added something. The aircraft sequences deserve a screen that big.

It stuck with me after the credits rolled. Not perfect, but the highs are high enough to forgive the rough patches.