Monster Whumpee had always been a disappointment to their Handler. They’d been smaller and less impressive than the rest of the team’s monstrous companions from the beginning. Handler, feeling slighted at having been stuck with a companion so beneath their station, hadn’t bothered to help Whumpee develop their own skills. Instead, Handler endlessly berated and even beat Whumpee for failing to keep up, literally or metaphorically, and for making them look bad.
The idea of Handler giving up on them was terrifying - both because of the nature of the bond between a monster and their chosen human, and because Handler made it very clear that no one else would want such a useless companion.
I think a concept that is so under-utilised is when a character starts to wish for unconsciousness/death as a way to escape torture, or tries to cause themself pain to distract from the pain inflicted upon them. I just think it’s interesting to see them reach a point mentally where they’re willing to take those options.
1. At the screening I attended, the movie was preceded with a montage from various movie premieres Cruise and his cast attended. Cruise with his toothy-grin repeatedly thanked the sailors and military in the crowds. His co-stars genuflecting about how lucky they were to be cast and work with Cruise. The only thing missing was Pope Francis announcing that Cruise had been canonized as Saint Thomas of Hollywood.
2. Val Kilmer reveal to the press in 2017 that he was under going treatment for throat cancer. He underwent chemo therapy and 2 tracheotomies. He has extreme difficulty speaking. This was written into the backstory of his character Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky to explain his appearance and limited screen time.
3. Cruise’s Maverick is assigned to train 12 new Top Guns. He must then pick 6 to undertake a top secret mission. Six of the trainees are virtually unnamed and I’m not sure if anyone them have dialogue or a close-up. This pretty much eliminates any suspense as to which of the trainees Cruise will pick.
4. The remaining six main trainees were cast right out of the Affirmative Action handbook - one woman, one Black actor, one Latino, one guy who might be gay, and two macho white guys (guess which have the larger roles).
5. Miles Teller plays the only trainee that Cruise interacts with. He’s the son of Maverick’s friend who died in original film - so of course he blames Maverick for his dad’s death. Teller is an actor who I have difficulty watching. He always comes across as angry and smarmy - the two main traits of his character here.
6. Although the original Top Gun was released 36 years ago, one of the sequel’s key plot points borrows (swipes? copies? steals?) an element from “Star Wars” (1977). The secret mission involves flying their jets down a long, narrow, and hazardous canyon. Then shoot a missle into an impossibly small air vent to destroy the Death Star uranium enrichment facility below! Perhaps Cruise’s call sign should have been Skywalker!
7. Cruise feels the need to perform his own stunts - no matter how dangerous. But as a viewer, do I really care he’s putting his life on the line for my entertainment? NO! Otherwise it would be like the Roman gladiators getting horribly killed to satisfy the audiences blood lust.
8. There’s no action scene in this movie that could not be done with stunt doubles, green screen or CGI. I don’t need to know Cruise’s junior co-stars vomited while being recorded on real jets. They are called actors for a reason - act like you are suffering from extreme G-force!
9. But I suspect Cruise needlessly risks his own life on a day-to-day basic. Early in the film he rides off on a motorcycle - prominently displayed is a “No-55” bumper sticker in reference to the California highway speed limit. Later in the movie Cruise and co-star Jennifer Connelly are shown tooling around on a motor cycle in San Diego - neither wearing a helmet (required by California law). Cruise is enormously popular but he sets the wrong example to his fans.
10.The film itself is entertaining and fans will love it (critics already do with its 97% score at Rotten Tomatoes). But there’s nothing new here. You’ve seen all the action tropes before; even the last minute heroics by pilots Miles “Smarmy” Teller and Glenn “Cock-of-the-Walk” Powell are predictable. (You’ll notice it’s the white guys who save the day at the end, not any of the rest of the affirmative action pilots.)
NOTE: Kelly McGillis was 5 years older than Cruise when she played his love interest in the original Top Gun. She does not appear in the sequel. Hollywood historically has been unkind to older actresses. To link Cruise to McGillis again would highlight that Cruise has barely aged (and must have a magic portrait hidden in his attic). Instead a younger Jennifer Connelly was cast as his new paramour.
Check out my Ten Comments About the movies opening scene:
Credit to co-author @whump-sprite Caution for: death wish in the context of torture
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Connor gets easier to move every day. Riven drags him by a broken arm to the interrogation room, but is disappointed to find by the time they get there the man has passed out. He crouches down beside him to watch the distress crawl across Connor’s face as he comes round.
“You pass out easy now,” he comments conversationally. “I reckon there’s not much fun left to wring out of you, whadda you think? I’ll kill you soon, wouldn’t you like that?” It’s hard now, to get a reaction with words, but that does it. There’s a little unwilling shade of desperate hope in those bloodshot eyes. “I asked you a question,” Riven reminds him gently. “…please, sir,” Connor rasps obediently in response. “I think I’ll choke you out.” Connor flinches as Riven gestures at his bruised throat. He flinches every time Riven moves. “I’ve watched the light go out of your eyes so many times now, but it’ll hit different when it’s the last time. Would you like that?”
Connor blinks slowly. The left eye sticks a little and takes longer to reopen.
“I asked you a question.” Riven prods a shattered hand and gets a moan. “Still with me, Connor? I said I’ll kill you soon, would you like that?” “…yes, sir,” comes the delayed response, “please, sir… please…”
Maybe he even understands, because he doesn’t start struggling instantly that Riven’s hand closes over his throat. Only when his air runs out and blind instinct takes over.
Half the fun is watching him convulse and jolt all of his other injuries. Once they’re this broken they practically torture themselves.
