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63 About this deal
Barring more double-dips, re-masters, boxed sets, and 3D Conversions, the main reason I signed up for 'Top Gun 3D' is because I adore Tony Scott and this represents one of the last times to review, if not something new, something of his we've never seen (sort of). I have no idea whether he was involved with this process, other than he intended to make a sequel, but after watching this movie, it breaks my cinema-heart to know there will never been another new Tony Scott film. And despite my questions about the overall experience here, now more than ever I wonder what Tony Scott in native stereo would have been like? Insane, over the top, seizure-inducing, brilliant? Who knows, but man I loved his work.
behind the more revealing native 4K presentation. It's still a treat that Blu-ray only buyers will find more than satisfying. A few shots here Then something fun happened. The opening titles, including the long paragraph about the history of the Top Gun program, popped right off the screen. I smiled. Those looked good. I liked the effect. And then my mouth dropped. Remember those terrible dark and grainy shots of fighter jets slowly preparing for take off? All the steam and sweat and exhaust? They still look like I remember, the grit and grain are still there, but wow, the flat, chunky images have been replaced with believable depth. Nothing suffered from that cardboard layer effect. Detail is excellent, revelling in the nuances of the faces of the frequently sweaty core cast, with a loving layer of texture to it leaving you with no concerns whatsoever that the underlying detail may have been scrubbed away - sure, this is a clean print, but it's got no signs of excessive DNR implementation, merely affording the image a gorgeous clean-but-textured look. Starring: Tom Cruise , Kelly McGillis , Val Kilmer , Anthony Edwards , Tom Skerritt , Michael IronsideAmerica's Best (5:27): The US Military's involvement in the production and casting Anthony Edwards, Meg Ryan, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer,
Finally, there are more than a few moments where planes or people, who appear deeper, connect with the frame's edge and spoil the illusion, but there are only a couple outwardly BAD shots (for my eyes). These both included mirror reflections, and the added depth of the distance behind the mirror feels wonky. Ghosting, for those with prone displays, is minor (on some titles and some of the smaller jet shot). Multi-Angle Storyboards (SD, 7min) — With optional commentary by director Tony Scott, two scenes are showcased with the multi-angle option where viewers can compare storyboards and the actual shots. Top Gunis almost 35 years old, but 4K has given it a whole new lease of life, with the relatively low budget production thankfully shot with some not insignificant style by Scott, and also thankfully shot on film, which leaves plenty of sequences from the film looking basically almost as good as they would today. It gets off to a slightly grainy start, with the opening shot, and that gives you a taste of what some of the individual frames may look like, particularly given the lighting and limitations of the source footage, but the aerial footage - by and large - is absolutely astounding; a real revelation in 4K, and far far better than ever before. minutes, listeners will enjoy a location that is awash with authentic military sounds, such as radio chatter and assorted radar and computer bleeps and the disabled ship in the Indian Ocean. It's the scene intro shot that lasts several seconds. There are also a few occasions of uneven pitch (1:21:40, for
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Original Theatrical Promotional Material: Includes Behind-the-Scenes Featurette, Survival Training Featurette, Tom Cruise Interviews, It's important to note this may not have been a worldwide view of America; it certainly isn't now. But put on some acid wash jeans or neon t-shirts, grab your Walkman, and go with it. rich, and even as the music is spacious it never loses a feel of focus and positional excellence. Inside the carrier command center in the opening
Further, the 3D experience has a number of high points. The movie opens with the new 100th Anniversary Paramount Logo which, to no one's surprise, looks perfect. Seeing this first, I was immediately worried. How could a nearly-30 year old film compare to a CGI creation in terms of depths, color, resolution, clarity and all those things that make Pixar and Dreamworks CGI animated movies stunning HD demo material?
Conclusion
As a Blu-ray, it's a much harder call. Most will be happy with the disc they have, given half of this release IS that very same disc. Aside from the new UltraViolet copy, the only reason to consider this Blu is the 3D ( no shit, Palmer), which is very well done, despite a few flaws. But I'm not sure the overall experience is enhanced, except that the movie now looks sometimes better in 3D than the aging 2D transfer (though the aging transfer does best the new version in places). Finally, the audio is terrific and loud and everything this movie needs it to be, and the Special Features remain surprisingly in-depth. Forging the Darkstar (HD, 8 min) takes a closer look at the scramjet prototype seen at the beginning of the film and how it plays a role in the story. The soundstage displays excellent channel separation with even, persuasive movement between the channels and very well-prioritized vocals in the center. When the F-14s scream across the screen, they fly by with ease while dynamic range remains stable without much distortion. Low-frequency effects are accurate and authoritative with powerful, thunderous roars. Rear activity comes alive during the dogfights, extending the soundfield with lots of action and commotion. The real winner, of course, is the score and song selection, filling the entire front soundscape and subtly bleeding into the surrounds for an effective and engaging presentation. speed while making various maneuvers. Here the top end engages with frequency, with both plainly discrete effects and easily identifiable adds to the
The 1080p presentation, which is an SDR 1080p downscale of the companion UHD 4K/Dolby Vision release, fares quite well on its own. It's obviously In North America, the film has grossed more than the likes of Avengers and Titanic, en route to becoming Cruise's most successful movie ever. Even this past weekend, Top Gun still managed to secure 2nd place at the box office during a quieter release period. As you can probably see, 'Top Gun 3D' is definitely a mixed bag. From my point of view, there were more impressive moments than failures, but as an overall experience, the 3D doesn't enhance the action. It's cool. It looks good. It makes for some gorgeous, some less so, high definition. But serve story or improve the film, it does not.Narrow Targets and the Future (5:39): The film's success upon release, its influence on music and the style of the time, Cruise's Looking at the video review so far, it seems I've done nothing but heap butt-kissing praise onto this conversion. I merely intend to give credit where it is due. There's a lot of beautiful work in here, and it's crazy to think the movie still looks like itself, only deeper.
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