Just in time for the holidays Paramount has released an absolutely stunning SteelBook for one of Tom Cruise’s most popular films, Top Gun. 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for Top Gun releases, as the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, was set to be released back in June but has now been postponed until July 2021 due to the pandemic. This caused a bit of a kerfuffle with Paramount’s planned 4K release of the original film, as the original idea was for it to arrive a month prior to the sequel’s release, as a wingman of sorts! However, instead it simply landed on shelves in all its remastered glory back in May even after the sequel’s postponement.
They did, however, delay this SteelBook release until December, because the sequel was initially bumped to Christmas…but, unfortunately once again that didn’t work out in this unpredictable climate. But you know what? That’s okay. We’re all flying by the seat of our pants this year (some of us doing so inverted) so we have to make adjustments as we go. The win in this scenario is that people who are looking to buy a holiday gift for the Top Gun fan in their life need look no further, because even if they happen to own the film, this SteelBook is just too pretty to pass up.
What I love most about this SteelBook is just how much the art pops, and how it showcases multiple iconic moments from the film all in a beautiful black and greyish-blue tone. It allows the characters to perfectly compliment the clouds and the open sky behind them, instead of simply having everything be in colour. It also allows for the red in the film’s title to draw the eye, but not in a distracting sense. Once again, it’s all works harmoniously.
I also love how the artist wasn’t afraid to give the sky the space it deserves, not filling it up by making Maverick and the rest of the characters bigger, but allowing it to breathe and be as inviting as the look on Maverick’s face makes it seem. Just absolutely gorgeous work done here, and exactly the type of unique imagery you hope to get when picking up a SteelBook of a film it’s very likely that you already own.
The back of the case is simple in its imagery of two of the film’s jets flying through the sky. Some of the same artistic speed lines used on the front are found again on the back, only diagonal here, which gives the indication that these jets are moving incredibly fast. You could say they have a need…
The clouds in the background are continued on from the front, connecting through the spine of the case to give it a nice, fluid look. This type of simple back also keeps the focus on the gorgeous front, which is where it should be. There are certain times where a SteelBook has an artistic design on the back that outshines the cover and leaves you wondering why they didn’t just use that. Here, the two work together nicely and that continues on within the case as well.
The inside of the case keeps the same colour tones and style as the front, complete with speed lines. The main imagery is of the deck of the aircraft carrier in the film. We see a pilot next to a jet, and in the air jets are rocketing by. It’s once again simple, but keeps the artistic elegance that the rest of the case has, instead of simply slapping a stock image from the film within.
The 4K release itself is the same as the release back in May (my review can be found here,) but if you know someone who’s a big fan this movie and may not have updated to 4K remaster yet, then consider your Christmas shopping done because they’re going to love this SteelBook release. And as mentioned before, even if they did buy the 4K release back in May, this is the perfect gift for that person who just can’t get enough of this movie and it showcases that you haven’t lost that loving feeling.
4K Blu-ray Video and Audio Review:
This 4K upgrade to the film is warranted and welcome, as the film looks the best in decades here. So from a purely visual standpoint, even if you own the Blu-ray, this is a worthy double-dip that should last you for quite a long time to come. While the film still has a few spots where its age show, the 2160p/Dolby Vision really lets the film shine from a visual standpoint.
As mentioned, some scenes show heavier film grain but others just shine in a way that the film hasn’t shone before. That volleyball scene? Prepare to be knocked back in your seats by the muscle definition flexing onto your screen in extremely crisp fashion. In all seriousness, a great job was done with the source material and it’s always wonderful to get these quality upgrades to films that deserve it.
On the audio side of things, this Dolby Atmos mix just rocks across the board. The soundtrack blasts through superbly, and the dogfights and jet scenes in general all sound absolutely spectacular. Much like the visuals, this is the best the film has sounded since its theatrical run. The dialogue sounds clear, the sound effects and overall mix is just spot on and the classic songs that are the Top Gun soundtrack are perfection. Again, just another reason to add this 4K release to your collection, even if you own one of the previous Blu-ray releases.
Special Features: (The special features are the same as the 4K release earlier this year
**NEW** The Legacy of Top Gun — Ideally this release would’ve prepared viewers for the theatrical release of Top Gun: Maverick, but our current situation has caused the sequel to be pushed until at least December of this year. Here we have a featurette that’s five and a half minutes long and sees Cruise, Bruckheimer and Maverick
Director Joseph Kosinski all talk about the original film, how it impacted them and their careers, quotes from the film that are still popular today. It’s nice to see everyone talk about the impact this film had on them here.
**NEW** On Your Six: Thirty Years of Top Gun — This is a five-part feature that’s roughly 30-minutes in total and breaks down like this:
Looking Back — This featurette is seven-and-a-half minutes long and sees Cruise and Bruckheimer talk about the film’s production, what it was like working with Director Tony Scott, as well as Cruise’s love for aviation and wanting to be more involved in the production of the film.
America’s Best — This featurette is five-and-a-half minutes long and focuses on the supporting cast of the film, including Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis and Meg Ryan. We also get some information about how the military helped in the film’s production.
Into the Danger Zone — Another seven-and-a-half minute featurette that focuses on the film’s classic soundtrack and memorable score, as well as the training the actors had to go through while prepping for the movie, and showcasing how the aerial scenes were filmed — still some of the best ever done when it comes to a film like this.
Going Ballistic — This featurette is just under 4-minutes in length and sees Cruise and Bruckheimer go down memory lane, treating fans to some stories that took place during filming.
Narrow Targets and the Future — Another five-and-a-half minute featurette that talks about the success of the original and Cruise being hesitant to make a sequel just for the sake of doing so.
Overall, this is a great set of features, and a great bonus to get on top of the superior audio and visuals that this release delivers to fans.
Below are the previously reviewed special features that were found on the Blu-ray release:
Audio Commentary with Producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, co-screenwriter Jack Epps, Jr., Captain Mike Galpin, technical advisor Pete Pettigrew, and Vice Admiral Mike McCabe — This is a worthy listen, even though it’s not this giant group of guys all sitting in a room remenicing about filming and talking about the creative process. Pieces of individual commentaries are put together here, yet it’s still something fans of the film will definitely want to experience.
The meat and potatoes of the special features is the 145 minute six-part documentary entitled “Danger Zone: The Making of Top Gun.” Fans of the movie, fans of movie making, and fans of documentaries will all love what this one has to offer, as there’s just loads of information beautifully gathered in this hefty feature that’s a definite must-watch if you pick this up.
Multi-Angled Storyboards — For those who like all sorts of filmmaking bits and pieces, there are two multi-angled storyboards with director commentary to be found here.
Best of the Best: Inside the Real Top Gun — Here’s another documentary that still comes in at a respectable 28 minutes in length. This one focuses more on the real life aviators that helped inspire the movie.
Rounding out the special features are four music videos (“Danger Zone,” “Take My Breath Away,” “Loverboy,” and the “Top Gun Anthem,” seven TV spots, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a survival training featurette, and some Tom Cruise interviews.
All in all a very well rounded batch of special features with a must-see “making of” documentary that’s even longer than the movie itself.
Paramount Pictures Presents Top Gun. Directed by: Tony Scott. Written by: Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr.. Starring: Tom Cruise, Anthony Edwards, Val Kilmer, Kelly McGillis, Tom Skerritt, Michael Ironside, John Stockwell, Meg Ryan. Running time: 110 Minutes. Rating: PG. 4K Collector’s SteelBook Released: Dec 1, 2020.
