Top Gun Turns 40: Why Maverick’s Celebration Scenes Are Total Bullshit | Mac Engel

Mac has an evolved relationship with the popular Tom Cruise movie, Top Gun, which celebrates its 40th birthday this month.
The film came out when Mac was an aspiring movie critic for his middle school newspaper in Indianapolis.
As he grew older, and “Top Gun Maverick” was released, his views of the films changed. But a few things still gnaw at him.
(Plus, this gives him the chance to tell you that he once flew with the Blue Angels).
Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Mac Engel shares his hilariously specific problems with the Top Gun franchise as the original movie turns 40 years old. From his teenage review that trashed the 1986 classic to his current appreciation for both Top Gun and Maverick, Mac reveals the absurd details that really bother him about these beloved films. Drawing from his own experience flying with the Blue Angels, he tackles everything from oxygen mask usage to unrealistically long celebration scenes that no movie critic has ever complained about before.
00:00:00 – Getting Older and Platform Introductions
Mac Engel reflects on aging and introduces the Engel Angle podcast across multiple platforms.
00:00:48 – Top Gun Turns 40: A Movie That Changed Everything
Discussion of Top Gun’s 40th anniversary and its revolutionary impact on filmmaking and aerial cinematography.
00:02:37 – Middle School Movie Critic: The Origin Story
Mac recounts his aspirations to be a movie critic in 1986 and his harsh review of Top Gun as a student journalist.
00:06:48 – Growing Up and Changing Perspectives
How Mac’s opinion of Top Gun evolved over the years as he matured and gained new appreciation for the film.
00:07:39 – Flying with the Blue Angels: A Real Top Gun Experience
Mac shares his personal experience flying with the Blue Angels and how it informed his view of the movie’s aerial sequences.
00:09:32 – The Real Problems with Top Gun Begin
Mac transitions from praising the movies to identifying specific issues that genuinely bother him about both films.
00:11:38 – The Oxygen Mask Problem and Other Technical Issues
Analysis of how pilots remove their oxygen masks during flight sequences for dramatic effect.
00:13:18 – Sending Graduates to War: The Logic Problem
Mac’s main critique about why the Navy would send recent Top Gun graduates instead of experienced pilots into combat.
00:16:24 – The Celebration Scene That Goes Too Long
Detailed criticism of the overly extended celebration scenes in both Top Gun films.
00:19:09 – Top Gun Maverick: Great Movie, Same Problems
Mac praises Maverick as an excellent film while identifying the same issues with celebration scenes and mysterious photographers.
00:24:39 – Final Thoughts: Enjoying Movies Despite Their Flaws
Mac concludes by acknowledging his love for both films while maintaining his specific criticisms about unrealistic celebration scenes.