What the Hell Happened: Top Gun Nominated for Best Picture

If you told people last year that the thirty-year delayed “Top Gun” sequel would be one of the best movies of 2022, they would have laughed in your face. A sequel to a movie about overly masculine, oiled up fighter pilots speaking in action movie cliches? Really? But now, much to the dismay of Letterboxd patrons and film bros around the world, “Top Gun: Maverick” has not only been nominated for Best Picture, but is one of the frontrunners to win the Academy’s most prestigious award. As with every box office hit that gets nominated for the prestigious prize, this praise comes with a bit of controversy. However, as fun as it would be to dunk on another legacy sequel cash-grab, “Top Gun: Maverick” is one of the best movies of the year, and the praise that it’s getting from the Academy is well deserved.

The Academy, to put it bluntly, has been struggling. Viewership continues to plummet year after year, social media has a stranglehold on viewer attention, and American infatuation with celebrity culture just isn’t what it once was. From the audience’s perspective, this makes sense: Why should the average American tune in to watch people they have nothing in common with praise movies they’ve never heard of? Realizing this, the suits at the Academy needed to nominate a universally beloved movie with a recognizable star that the average American would want to get behind, and “Top Gun: Maverick” fits the bill perfectly.

Hollywood politics aside, “Top Gun: Maverick” is a fantastic movie. Yes, the propaganda is still apparent and the hints of American imperialism still bleed through, but when a movie is reliant on military funding and approval, some form of a recruitment ad is to be expected. The true merit of “Top Gun: Maverick” is that, in spite of these constraints, the movie provides an experience that can be universally enjoyed. The sound design is impeccable, the actors are remarkably committed, and the action set pieces may be the best in recent history. Even the cheesy lines and straightforward story come off as endearing under the guise of the film’s 80’s action movie aesthetic. But most importantly, the film creates a spectacle that so effectively incites a mix of awe and adrenaline long forgotten by theatergoers. No matter who you are, it’s hard to deny the rush when you hear the roar of an afterburner.

This may be the greatest case for “Top Gun: Maverick” this awards season. The modern blockbuster landscape is dominated by CGI slog-fests, churned out by visual effects artists under the heels of profit-driven studios. The result is a subpar theater experience that moviegoers have no choice but to accept, and that studios justify with delayed streaming releases. “Top Gun: Maverick” is a direct response to this, with a cast and crew so hellbent on realism that they would rather become pseudo stunt pilots than resort to a minute of greenscreen. Because of this intense commitment to authentic effects and stunts, “Top Gun: Maverick” has effectively revived moviegoing culture, and its superb box office performance will hopefully eliminate studio complacency in visual effects.

So does “Top Gun: Maverick” deserve to actually win Best Picture? Probably not. But nevertheless, Kosinski and Cruise have put together one of the best action movies of our generation and have hopefully corrected the course of mainstream cinema. And for that, they can have as much Academy praise and baby oil as their hearts desire.