DJariya

June 2nd. Still at 97% and 99% audience score with 10,000+ audience reviews. This has to be the best reviewed movie of Tom Cruise's 40 year career and it's a summer movie, not a "Prestige" film. I do see that MI: Fallout had pretty similar standings.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/top_gun_maverick

and it's already made more than the 1986 movie's entire domestic run.

https://deadline.com/2022/06/top-gun...ds-1235037381/

clckworang

I went with a couple of friends last Friday to the drive-in to see this but have held off commenting. I must say that I'm really taken aback at the overwhelmingly positive reception the movie has received. To be honest, the three of us were making cracks and mocking the movie for much of the runtime. We all agreed it was better than the original and very 80s, but none of us was very impressed. In fact, I found myself sort of apologizing at the end because it was my idea to go to the movie since it was my birthday. Also, I go to the drive-in quite often, and it was much less crowded than it usually is on the opening showing of a blockbuster there.

So, I was hanging out yesterday with one of those friends who went with me to the movie. She doesn't follow box office or anything, and I made some crack about how big the movie is. She thought I was joking. I read her the money it brought in, and she was shocked. She then looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes and was really shocked when she saw the scores there. She asked if we were all watching the same movie or that maybe we were making fun of it too much to see it was actually great.

Now, I didn't think the movie was terrible, but it all felt really thin and silly, formulaic to the point there was very little suspense. People are talking like this is the second coming of Hollywood, a major achievement, and I just keep shrugging. I have another friend who wants to see it. I might actually go again because I'm wondering if I really missed something. While I think the original has aged terribly, I really wanted to like this one. In fact, I almost expected to, so I sort of feel like I'm missing out as everyone continues to gush about it. I wish I could, too.

dex14

^^^ Go see it, but not at a drive in.

RichC2

It's a movie you either get fully engaged in or simply see it for the cliches that it lays on the table. Similar, IMHO, to older Pixar movies which did little interesting with plot but people tended to find engaging in their own right.

Really strong bass helped this movie a lot. And like any movie, if you can't get into it, you're probably gonna be bored.

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story

I haven't seen it yet and I'm not discounting your experience, yet one must admit that taking in a movie at the drive-in is a very different experience, one that lends itself to chatter, looking at one's watch, and many other distractions. I don't know that I've ever been "immersed" while at the drive-in. Many people here are talking about the awesomeness that is being in the cockpit with the pilots. I'm not sure if one can get that at the drive-in.

DJariya

IMAX, 4DX, RPX, Dolby Cinema....see it in one of those formats.

Draven

I've seen movies at the drive-in that I've seen before, but I saw Godzilla King of the Monsters for the first time there. Our drive-in is fine and that movie is not great under any circumstances, but watching it at home was a LOT better. I can't imagine seeing this at a drive-in with piped in speaker music and full-blown conversations happening during it.

clckworang

[QUOTE=DJariya;14113299]IMAX, 4DX, RPX, Dolby Cinema....see it in one of If a movie requires those formats to be enjoyed, it must not be that good of a movie on its own.

We didn't experience this problem when we went to the drive-in and saw the new Spiderman, Licorice Pizza, Last Night in Soho, West Side Story, Batman, Dune, etc. Any time I hear someone say it must be seen on the biggest screen possible, part of me wonders if that is to compensate for other things. But we were actually pretty close to the screen, so it's not like we were looking at some tiny postage stamp.

And while I won't discount your experiences, I've never had that problem at the drive-in. I often find being at a theater far more distracting. I've always been able to get into a movie at the drive-in, and chatter in my car is typically very minimal. We just found it all very silly and the blatant homoeroticism hysterical. It couldn't have been an accident, especially the way he was used, that a close synonym for rooster is also another term for male genitalia, could it?

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My car has fairly good bass. The audio quality wasn't the problem; it was the dialogue quality. We weren't bored; we just didn't think it was all that good.

clckworang

Piped in speaker music? What does your drive-in use for audio?

There weren't full blown conversations happening, more like MST3K chatter at what we were watching.

Draven

...what? I'm 45 and fairly hip to the lingo and I've never heard that. It was just another farm-type bird name, same as his father. I see some 20 year old entries on Urban Dictionary on it, so I don't think it's in common usage.

I think you were trying to see some things that weren't actually there.

Why So Blu?

Yeah, cuz you saw it at a fucking drive-in.

clckworang

[QUOTE=Draven;14113321]You've never heard that another name for a rooster is cock?

Edit to add: you must have never watched Deadwood.

clckworang

So dialogue and story get better at a different venue?

DJariya

Top Gun Maverick is a great movie on it's own IMO. But, IMO the premium format added to the experience. My view is that if you're going to see a blockbuster, you should make it more than just a movie and make it an "experience" But, that's just my view. I've seen plenty of great movies and even blockbusters where I didn't pay for a premium format.

If your drive-in is your "go to" theater and is most convenient for you, then cool beans. Not trying to change or pressure you to change your routine for you to enjoy entertainment.

Why So Blu?

Escapist entertainment does. This is Top Gun, not Citizen Kane. You go to the drive-in to watch dialogue and story driven films? You're doing it wrong, mate.

Draven

Just did a full watch-through a few months ago.

clckworang

I go to the movies to hopefully see a good movie. As I said previously, the drive-in didn't impact my enjoyment of many other escapist movies.

And that's why I hesitated from even posting my feelings about the movie. It felt like an earnest Team America movie, and everyone is so enthusiastic about it. I knew a contrary opinion would get attacked. I also knew that those same people would use a venue as an excuse. If it's good entertainment, it shouldn't matter the screen size. If it requires it to be enjoyed, then it's a crutch.

clckworang

Then I guess you learned something new today. Cock is a synonym for rooster and penis, and both usages are still in wide use.

Why So Blu?

No one is attacking you. Next time just go to the drive-in by yourself if that's your thing, because I know if I went with some annoying as friends that spent the entirety of the film cracking jokes and whatnot, I'd be annoyed and would probably not enjoy myself.

clckworang

No one is attacking me; they're just discounting my opinion because I didn't see it on a screen that they deem worthy to pass judgment.

And you're still not understanding. We didn't talk through the whole thing. I didn't go with annoying friends. I took my friends to a movie that we tried to take earnestly and found too silly to do so. If you've never been to a movie that you've felt like that about, then I guess those extra big screens really do the job for you.

RichC2

Ah well that's good at least. I do agree that a good bit of it was silly, but I actually enjoyed that aspect a decent bit.

I'm also a little surprised by the overwhelming praise, but did enjoy it.

story

I don't know about dialogue but I'm much better in-person than here, absolutely.

Draven

I think “wide use” is a bit much but maybe you roll in different circles. Certainly doesn’t come up in daily conversation for me.

I love the drive-in and I also admit that it’s not the best place to see a brand-new movie.

RichC2

Some are seeing this weekend at $68m (-46%), which would put it at $273.6m which is well above Tom Cruise's previous domestic high (War of the World @ $234m).

Even the lower end estimates at $50m put it above his previous record.

clckworang

Which usage isn't in wide use? Just because a word doesn't come up in daily conversation doesn't mean it's still not widely used. I've never heard anyone refer to rooster fighting. It has always been cock fighting. There's a well known film directed by Monte Hellman called Cockfighter. What did you think he was fighting? There's also the expression cock of the walk. These things aren't obscure.



And if you're referring to the other usage, then I'd again point you to Deadwood and many, many other places.

And it sounds like you should go to a better drive-in or at least get better audio in your car.