Top Gun: Maverick
Yeah, it was a bit cheesy here and there, and it definitely played fast and loose with military tech, tactics, and the chain of command, but I found TG:M to be a tight, entertaining, feel-good action flick that did nostalgia right.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
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Interesting how the bad guy- never identified by name in the movie- was a mashup of Russia (the OPFOR 5th Gen fighters were clearing Su-57s), North Korea, and Iran (the F-14).
The Darkstar looked a lot like the F-19 stealth fighter mockup that Tom Clancy modeled the stealth fighter from
Red Storm Rising on.
Some
moments:
GPS jamming rendering the F-35 useless
Flares fooling radar-guided SAMS
A naval aviator being surprised that an F-14 would take off with its wings extended
An F-18 Super Hornet carrying drop tanks and LGBs when launched to tackle enemy 5th Gen fighters
No redundancy measures for mission (i.e. why not a third pair of Hornets?)
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