Tony Scott’s tenderly macho airborne action flick solidified producer Jerry Bruckheimer as a blockbuster-whisperer and catapulted Tom Cruise to stratospheric stardom; we’re pleased to present an Independence Day weekend engagement of the 1986 original, leading up to our July 7 Movies Under The Stars screening of 2022’s TOP GUN: MAVERICK at Ijams Nature Center.

The Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School is where the best of the best train to refine their elite flying skills. When hotshot fighter pilot Maverick (Tom Cruise) is sent to the school, his reckless attitude and cocky demeanor put him at odds with the other pilots, especially the cool and collected Iceman (Val Kilmer). But Maverick isn’t only competing to be the top fighter pilot, he’s also fighting for the attention of his beautiful flight instructor, Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis).

“TOP GUN is the type of movie that turns the screen into an altar. Kneeling before its slick façade of 1980s magnificence, you are in the shadow of a film that has defined the modern day action blockbuster.” – BBC