*Spoilers below*

The aerial scenes in Top Gun: Maverick are stunning. They had me hooked and excited all the way through. But after the film was finished, I was left wondering about the bits between them. So, a few things I’d like to know more about-

Who are ‘The Enemy’?

At no point is the regime targeted in the film’s mission named. They are The Enemy, and they’re going to enrich Uranium. They also have some of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world. They’re probably not Russia, particularly as they also operate old American aircraft as well. Are they former allies? Were the F14s captured in some earlier conflict?

Presumably The Enemy aren’t named so the film won’t risk causing offence on the international market. You can’t blame the producers for that, even if it does feel a bit silly.

What are the 5th generation fighters called?

As soon as we’re told that The Enemy has 5th generation fighters, you know that Maverick is going to be engaging them in a dogfight before the end of the movie, and coming out on top despite their supposed superiority. But surely such fighters would have a name. US Navy top guns would know about the fighters, and would have studied everything known about them. They’d also have a name for them, whether it was the official designation or a nickname they had come up with.

‘5th generation fighter’ is such an unname it’s clumsy and embarrassing. It’s a rookie writer mistake, to conjure up a big bad so terrible only our plucky hero can defeat it, then not even name it.

What’s the rent on an old aircraft hangar?

At the start and end of the film, Maverick is hanging out in his massive workhop/garage(/home?), working on his P51 Mustang and surrounded by all his cars and bikes. As he’s still only a Captain after all these years in the Navy, can he actually afford all these toys, and the space to store them? This looks more like the sort of place that millionaire film star Tom Cruise would own.

I’m sure there are more questions that need asking, but I’ll leave those for when I re-watch the film in a few years.

I got Top Gun: Maverick from my Cinema Paradiso subscription, which sends me DVDs and Blurays by post. There are loads of films only available on disc that I want to watch, and this is teh best way to get them. And for the blockbusters, there’s nothing like enjoying some of the special features. Click on the link (or this one) to find out more. (Affiliate link.)