‘Top Gun’ Turns 30: One Millennial’s Burning Questions About the Film
"Why are there no woman pilots?" she asked.
— -- "Top Gun" turns 30 years old today, and even the oldest millennial was just 5 years old when the Tom Cruise hit came out.
In fact, many young adults have never seen the film. So, what would a first-timer think?
In all honestly, after watching the movie with a 23-year-old coworker at ABC News who had never seen it, the classic blockbuster still really holds up. The plot has some holes, but the action is just as exciting as it was three decades ago.
Here's what our millennial had to say/ask while watching:
1 - At the beginning, with Maverick (Cruise) and Goose (Anthony Edwards) on the aircraft carrier: "Why are they sweating so much and smoking cigars inside the ship?"
2 - "Tom Cruise looks like a baby!"
3 - "I wonder what my fighter pilot nickname would be?"
4 - When Stinger (James Tolkan) is yelling at the boys, 'cause that's what Stinger does: "The top 1 percent, he sounds like Bernie Sanders."
5 - When we meet our complete Top Gun class: "Why are there no women pilots?" (This is a valid question.)
6 - "Why are Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer (as Iceman) acting so weird when they first meet?" (They immediately don't like each other, for no other apparent reason other than competition and Ice Man went to flight school with Cougar (John Stockwell). Though Maverick saved Cougar's life, so ...)
7 - "Is 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' a Navy song or something?"
8 - "Why did he introduce himself as Maverick?" (To be cool.)
9 - "Why doesn't everyone hit the brakes all the time when a jet is chasing them?"
10 - "'Slider, you stink'? I thought it was gonna be better insult than that!"
11 - "OK, why are they are wearing jeans playing volleyball?"
12 - "Is this a Levi's commercial?"
13 - "Is he going to his date all sweaty?"
14 - "Shower?? Did he just ask to take a shower??" (Yes, he did.)
15 - "Are they just gonna keep playing 'Take My Breath Away?'" (Yes, yes they are.)
16 - "Is Goose's wife the chick from 'You've Got Mail?'" (Yes, that was Meg Ryan.)
17 - "Why is Goose's kid with him in a bar?"
18 - "These '80s lines and the kissing is out of control." ("Take me to bed or lose me forever!")
19 - "That's quick — 'Let him go'? No time to grieve, huh?"
20 - "Who did Wolfman (Barry Tubb) call to tell them Maverick just quit?"
21 - "They didn't mention she had a job opportunity in Washington. Where did that come from?"
22 - "How do all these guys have beachfront property? This is an HGTV dream."
23 - "There just happens to be a crisis situation during graduation? Come on!"
24 - "Why can't you see the bad guys' faces? Who are these guys? I'm assuming Russian, but ..."
25 - "After one mission, Maverick gets his choice of jobs and wants to be an instructor?"
Bonus - "This is my mom's favorite movie, and I just told her I watched it. She told me she feels old."
Related Stories
ABC News Live