Rooster tells Maverick "Easy for you to say. No wife. No kids. No one to mourn you when you burn in." When Mav gets hit saving him, that instant realization of him not wanting him to be gone because he was the closest thing to a father he had and the need to go and save him is such a cool full circle moment.

The fact that maverick didn't even hesitate to protect his best friend's son is so touching, and hangman wanting to fly cover for his team shows his true colors

The most underrated part of this sequence is the commander’s voice cracking slightly when he says there’s nothing they can do for Maverick. Despite their differences you can tell how much respect he has for Mav and how hard it is to make the choice to leave him behind for the sake of the others. Small detail but amazing acting.

These flight sequences are absolutely eye candy.

The cinema industry owes Tom Cruise a big thank you for rebooting the industry and holding off Maverick until It could be played in theater.

I gotta give a lot of credit to Glen Powell (Hangman) in the two seconds they show him asking to launch he shows genuine concern for his team with no "i'm gonna save the day" ego, while still looking totally in character. A great example of no small parts.

2:14 that voice crack, Cyclone just made the most difficult decision on his career. Jon Hamm is such an amazing actor.

Even in this scene where everyone is under fire, Maverick is constantly watching the other pilots and providing help so they could avoid the missiles. Such an intense scene and shows Maverick's character especially with that sacrifice.

This scene had me on the edge of my seat. The fact that there wasn’t any music at first and all you could hear were the sounds of missiles firing, planes dumping flares, and the fear increasing in the voices of the pilots…just an incredible scene.

Rooster yelling, "MAV!" when Maverick hit the brakes and deployed countermeasures, then is wide eyed saying, "MAV! NO!!!" when Maverick is downed really hits hard. Shows how Rooster went from contempt for Maverick to genuine care, concern, and love.

"Tell him there's nothing he can do for Maverick... Not in a god damned F-18" Such good acting on that line, the voice crack and the seriousness of tone through it is really really hard to just... pull off.

The scene at 1:14 always give me chills even now writing this, it just shows the desperate attempt by highly skilled pilots trying to get away and using everything they got. Awesome movie 100/10

the slight crack in Hamm's voice when he says "there's nothing you can do for maverick" gets me every time. you can feel how even he's heartbroken

I almost cried when Maverick's plane was hit. And our whole theatre went silent and I could hear some whimpers too. Such an amazing scene. Not to mention the amazing music by Hans Zimmer.

Flares dropping sound really hit your chest and stomach in IMAX. Best scene ever

Immediately thought of Viper's words about Maverick's father, in the original: "He could've made it out...stayed in it. Saved 3 planes before he bought it."

The Admiral sounds like he's tearing up as he says there's nothing they can do for Maverick. @ 2:14

1:05 the music in combination with the sheer panic in their voices is incredible. The shot of the entire valley full of missiles is just amazing

0:51 you've got to acknowledge how well Maverick outmanoeuvred those SAM, only used flares when he really couldn't outrun them, meanwhile Rooster used his flares most of the time due to lack of manoeuvring skill.

My theater went dead silent when Mavericks plane was hit

1:09 really captures how dire the situation is, everybody calling out and looking out had me on the edge of my seat, the music made it even more gut wrenching, the shot over the valley was just insane too

I never noticed the little detail of Phoenix at 00:05 saying "Emergency jettison, Dagger 0-3 defending" And then you see her ditch the remaining bombs from her wings to make herself a smaller, less lethal target. Nice little detail. Blink and you miss it.

I always get goosebumps when I hear that “Dagger 1 is down” from Phoenix. Almost sounds like a cry for help

I dont know if anyone else notice, but I love how Maverick choose to put himself between the missile and Rooster, like if the flares fail to do their job, he is a physical sheild to protect his son.

My tears appear immediately when Maverick is hit The plot really helps the audience to immerse in the movie

“talk to me, dad.” chills.

My favorite shot is at 1:14 when the camera goes wide to show them all evading rockets and fighting for their lives. The music there is phenomenal as well.

I love how Bob screams "Mav 9 o'clock, 9 o'clock!!" right as a missile streaks past his and Phoenix's plane, then it cuts to Mav barely avoiding the exploding missile

1:07 - 1:17 parallels the beach football scene so spectacularly. "Offense and defense at the same time" - hearing all of them talking to/over each other at the same time belies such a strong sense of camaraderie. I held my breath the entire time.

Rooster's "Oh my God" as he crests the mountaintop at 0:28 is one of the most chill-inducing lines I think I've ever heard in cinema.

2:43 you can feel the sadness and resignation not only on Phoenix voice, but mostly on her eyes. Acting with half face covered is not an easy task. Props to the amazing Monica Barbaro.

this scene was really moving at the theatres when he saves goose kid and gets hit instead, it just had you captivated and in the feels.

1:17 - the cinematic beauty of the cobra maneuver along with an iconic ‘guardian angel’ pose in that scene gives me shivers. Top Gun, Top Director, Top Movie! Edit: Additionally, it is a perfect example of ‘setup and payoff’ in screenwriting, as this maneuver is introduced earlier by Maverick in the combat training as a dogfight attack pattern. So beautiful to see it transformed into a defense tactic to save a fellow pilot.

The symbolism @ 1:35 Maverick defending Rooster just like a Father protecting his son. Earlier in the film he told Penny he always wanted to be the Dad that Rooster lost. His best friend & formal Co-Pilot (Goose) and now getting the chance to fly with his Best Friends son & the honor to save his son! Gave Maverick the salvation & liberation he's been wanting ever since the accident with Rooster's dad Goose, the Best Friend & former Co-Pilot he lost. That shot also resembles or symbolizes a Phoenix rising from the ashes with the flares coming out & his nose pointing straight up. Just as if his mental state is rising again after saving his Best Friend's son & fellow solider's life!! The amount of art in cinematography & symbolism in this movie is a masterpiece of storytelling, everything is covered!! A story of redemption, love, forgiveness, duty, friendship, & etc. Movie of the year, hands down!! August 25th 2022

Jon Hamm is fantastic here. He knows he's making the right decision, but hates himself for it all the same.

1:15 This shot is breathtaking.

1:35 that shot, maverick is like an angel with his flare covering over rooster like fiery wings

I remember getting chills in the theater and actually feeling emotional during 1:08 and when it pans out that you see everyone dodging missiles. Here you see these pilots just trying to survive, the fear in their eyes, and them all communicating with each other so they don’t get killed. The panic in their voice, the build up in the music, is just so POWERFUL. Such a good scene and I’m so glad I experienced it in theaters😭😭

2:09 to 2:20 is arguably the most emotional, gut wrentching part of the whole movie...and still just kills me even after watching for the 30th or so time.

Loved how focused John Hamm was in this scene. He'd already gone out on a limb and appointed Maverick the Team Leader, but you can tell this is the admiral speaking here and making sure everyone else gets home safe and not risking anymore casualties.

I love the small touch of Hangman's carrier scenes, especially here. Despite his ego, this shows that at his core, he's committed to never losing a squadron mate, regardless of what may happen

I watched the original Top Gun the night before I went to see Maverick, and I don't know if this was intentional, but the 1:09 this moment and the wideshot of the SAMS flying around everybody IMMEDIATELY brought to mind when Viper tells Mav the truth about his father's death. "We were in the worst dogfight I ever dreamed of. *_There were bogeys like fireflies all over the sky._* His F-4 was hit, and he was wounded, but he could've made it back. He stayed in it, saved three planes before he bought it." I don't know if it was intentional or just a typical showing of our characters in a dire situation, but the fact that THAT moment/line from Top Gun was summoned to mind basically emotionally primes us for Mav's impending sacrifice whether you know it or not. we know It's coming and it's great. DAMN THIS MOVIE IS GREAT

When Maverick moves to protect Rooster you can see him pull back on the throttle and pull up at the same time. Helped him get behind Rooster but made him essentially a stationary target in mid-air. There was no way the second missile was gonna miss him and he knew it. Makes it more reasonable for him to have survived if he knew it was coming.

I actually would not have minded if this was Maverick's final scene. Loved the ending and all the plot twists, but there was something beautiful about thinking that he paid the ultimate price to protect his friend's kid - especially after all of the baggage they'd been dealing with throughout the movie.

My wife who hates Tom cruise movies was on the edge of our couch glaring in awe. That’s how badass this movie is

1:35 is so symbolic. I like to call it the Angel shot

Cinema was invented for movies like Top Gun: Maverick.

Normally when watching action movies and the main character "dies", i would immediately realize and basically say "yeah, hes not dead. Theres still some minutes left in the movie." But this movie, and this particular scene managed to not only keep me on the edge of my seat, but also completely forget that fact.

I love Rooster's expression and just his breathing wanting to go back for Mav. What a damn movie.

Started tearing up during this scene and my vision was blurry the rest of the movie. The moment they all start yelling and giving each other callouts was one of the most tense theater experiences I’ve ever had. Love this movie so much.

The cinematography in the part where Maverick covers Rooster in flares is perfect. He knew he was taking that hit. But he launched those flares perfectly. This whole movie is amazing.

John hamm really showed emotion here in just his body language and facial reactions

1:37 That brief moment where you thought Maverick died.

At 2:06 You can see on Cyclones face that he wants go to save Maverick but he cleary dosen't want to risk the lives of his pilots or anyone else especially when the targets been hit.

In real life Maverick would have been awarded at least 2 medals of Honor for his actions during this mission.

This scene.. where they are all teamworking, everyone got each other's back. Something hits deep in me seeing this level of comraderie.

1:34 THAT capture right there is the part that had me in cinemas, in the IMAX showings 5 times. my god they did such a fantastic job on this film

I just noticed that this movie doesn’t have a villain. I guess the true villain is Mav’s past and guilt. He had to fight them throughout the whole movie.

Mav was looking back, waiting for that second missile to hit. He knew exactly what he was doing.

Seen this movie several times and have even just rewatch 1:05 over and over again. Even so this scene gives me the same exact feeling it did the first time, every time. This movie is a damn masterpiece.

1:15 this scene with the jets swarming around and all the pilots frantically calling out missiles is just…perfect, it sets up so much damn tension, and the musical spike gives a sense of dread that someone’s about to die, I love this movie so god damned much.

When that shot at 1:15 hits on the IMAX screen - it was absolutely stunning.

The admiral is correct not to send in SAR because those 5th gens would take out BVR any air cover fighters. The SAMs would have a field day picking off the rescue helos and in addition there are enemy gunships in the air. You will lose a lot more trying to get him out, and this is why they are trained to evade and survive when shot down until they can get to a safer evac zone. Its lessons learned from Vietnam with pilots shot down near Hanoi especially. One rescue attempt alone cost 11 lives, 2 more captured, and another downed pilot.

This scene is the culmination of every single minute in the first 3 quarters of the movies training scenes and emotional moments. From the very second they break the mountains peak it becomes " a dogfight the whole way home", but not even against the 5th generation fighters, against the individual pilots themselves and the situation they are in. Maverick was right, they had been told they are the best of the best their whole careers facing nothing of this magnitude. And the wide shot of all the pilots scattered screaming around the screen, with SAMs exploding behind them with the panicked and constant radio chatter to one another brings every singe emotion to the forefront.. the realization that genuinely someone might not make it home even before the 5th gens make it to the AO begins setting in. Absolutely perfect setting, timing and execution.

Hondo expresses his unhappiness at leaving Maverick behind. Cyclone confirms his decision and (somewhat generously, because he is under no obligation) states the reason for it. Hondo shuts his mouth. He knows that it's the right call. He knows he was out of line talking back to the admiral. This discussion is over. There's still work to do. In a lot of other Hollywood movies and shows, this would have degenerated into a long, annoying and emotional monologue to guilt the admiral into doing something ridiculous.

when the boys and i watched this movie we were literally having to use every fiber of our bodies to not scream "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

When Rooster says: Mav nooo!! It's like Dad noooo!!

This scene reminded me so much of the parallels to Mavericks dad and Viper way back in the day. “There were bogeys like fireflies…he stayed in it”. Mav did what a leader does. He didn’t hesitate to protect Rooster. Likewise, Rooster didn’t hesitate to repay the favor. Amazing.

Honestly goosebumps, when they’re all talking, missiles going off, the intensity was next level.

I legit froze up in total shock when Maverick went down. Not only did he defend Rooster from certain death by taking the hit for him, but this scene demonstrates how much Rooster has come to respect him and is willing to go back and search for him. It’s one of those scenes that pulls at your heart strings.

Maverick’s maneuver at 1:35 mirrors the one he did earlier in his dogfight with Rooster, though, this time, instead of fighting, he saves Rooster. Really goes to show how the relationship between the two developed into something more akin to brotherhood than hostility.

this is hands down, the most fun movie I've ever watched. Not only the stunts are amazing, but also the director and the story writer.

I hope it’s not lost on anyone that Mavericks not only flying his jet here but he’s essentially flying everyone else’s as well. A true adversary instructor. His SA is off the charts!!

hangman's redemption arc was so good in this

Say what you want about Hangman’s cocky attitude but he’s a team player through and through.

When Rooster says "OMG" chills. When you see all 4 jets trying to dodge missiles. CHILLS

That shot at 1:35 of Mav's plane flying over dropping flares is pure cinematic brilliance.

Did anyone notice: When during the mission Rooster is fearful and insecure and says: "Talk to me dad!", immediately afterwards they cut to Maverick who says "Come on KID, you can do it..." (Kid!) And then when Rooster throttles up and re-engages, Mav says: "That's it, SON. That's it!" according to the film's script. (Son!) This is where their father-son relationship really starts. And this scene then ultimately shows: Maverick would rather sacrifice his own life than let Rooster die, just like as if he was his father.

Interestting detail: At 0:08 Phoenix drops her two back-up bombs (since Maverick's pair has already been used successfully) in order to lighten up her jet to have a better chance of dodging incoming missiles. You can see the bombs being released on the wings

God, hearing those missiles launch in the theatre was crazy nuts. Was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Although the effects in "Maverick" are quite realistic, there's one really big technical inaccuracy regarding this scene - too big to ignore despite the fact that it's just a movie. The air defense system portrayed here is a Soviet, nowadays sixty year old portable system known as S-125 "Neva" (or "Pečora", for export), which fires short-range, two-stage missiles V-600/5V24 or V-601/5V27 (NATO reporting name: SA-3 "Goa"). The problem regarding its portrayal in this scene is that it's detection, tracking and guidance relies exclusively on its own fire-control radar (known as SNR-125, or "Low Blow" by the NATO reporting name), which was being operated from a separated control cabin (the ODAZ-828 semi-trailer). This automatically alludes that this system's missiles are being guided to their targets via radio-transmitted signal from the ground, which, in other words, actually means that there's absolutely no chance that they can be deceived with flares, like erroneously shown here. Flares can only trick self-guided type of missiles - the ones which are being guided via optical (thermal/infra-red) seeker located in the missile's head (nose), thanks to which they're are capable of autonomously tracking a target simply by following its heat signature (aircraft engines and exhaust, in other words), without any kind of assistance from the ground (from fire-control radar). So, the producers here should have included appropriate systems for this scene (deceiving the missiles by flares), such as 9K31 "Strela-1" or 9K35 "Strela-10" (as correctly portrayed back in 2001 movie "Behind Enemy Lines", as an example). However, even that would be debateable, since the IR seekers of more recent self-guided missiles feature the so-called "Kalman filter", who, shortly speaking, represents an alghoritm which continuously calculates path to and position of the target, automatically erasing subsequently appearing heat sources (the flares) back to the true/original source (target aircraft), thanks to which the missile's seeker equipped with it is almost completely immune to the flares (generally speaking, the flares are actually pretty outdated and inefficient for more modern IR-guided missiles, which was, by the way, also correctly portrayed in movie "Behind Enemy Lines"). Furthermore, there's another issue regarding the same scene and system - at 0:02, 0:28 and 0:49, the S-125 shows firing four of its missiles simultaneously and at 0:04 as well as 0:31 it's clear that they're intended for two different targets (aircraft). That's literally impossible for that system, since it represented a single-target channel and two-missile channel system, which means that it could actually fire at only one target at the same time with two missiles at most, but by no means at two different targets with two missiles per each (S-25 "Berkut", 9K37 "Buk", 9K330 "Tor" and S-300 were the only four Soviet air defense systems capable of simultaneous engagements). And last but not least - the S-125's quadruple launch platforms (which were known as SM-106 or 5P73) seen here are shown like being located in the middle of nowhere (atop of some mountain peaks and some installed on some kind of odd metal structure). In reality, it would be very hard, if not virtually impossible to place these launchers in such positions, because they were being towed by standard Soviet military 6x6 trucks (the ZIL-157 or 131) via special two-axle trailers (known as KZU-16), due to which positioning them in such environment would be highly-unlikely. Overall, the "Maverick" is still a good piece and I'm personally glad that the producers decided to add one of the Soviet air defense system to the movie, which will maybe even contribute to their popularization for wider public. In my opinion, inaccuracies in this scene are the only bigger objection to the entire movie.

I think I know why this movie did so well at the box office. We were hungry for the theatrical experience, and we hadn't had that since Avengers Endgame. We missed that through the pandemic. Then Maverick came out and, BOY......did it deliver!!!! 🤘🤘🤘🤘

2:17　I really love this scene.

I’m reminded of an IRL situation when a F-16 dodged 6 SAM missiles successfully during the Gulf War. The pilot dodged them all with nothing but maneuvers as his counter measures failed. If they had shown Rooster doing the dodge - only being left open due to lack of thrust AND THEN Maverick came in to cover with flares, would’ve been not only a good reference but an example that the son had surpassed his father.

Hangman was emotionally desperate to get up there. It wasn't about "I'm a hero heroes don't just sit around." He wanted to get up there to help get his dudes home, and find Maverick. It was amazing how throughout this movie, how close the whole team came together.

the music feels like its hopeless to fight back... there's too much its so badass

I get teary every time I listen to all those pilots working together to call out the SAMs for each other. The fact that this level of skill, coordination, and ability exists among real pilots is actually humbling. Makes you proud and grateful for people like that in the world.

I think that deep down Maverick was just waiting for an opportunity to sacrifice himself and finally be at peace with his conscience

When Mav flew over it always reminded me of an angel protecting. So awesome

The way the audio was mixed and mastered was incredible in this movie. Comanche at 2:00 while saying “Comanche, Bandits inbound. Single group hot, recommend Dagger flow south. One minute to intercept” you can still hear the Hawkeye’s engines growling in the background. Little details like that make movies so much more enjoyable to watch.

For any DBZ fans, 1:30-1:40 IS the live action Piccolo sacrificing himself for Gohan against Nappas blast moment we’ve been waiting for, and it was beautiful.

When i was watching this in cinema i didnt even register how close missile exploded to Payback at 0:38 I bet somebody thought for a split second Payback was done

This is an absolutely incredible scene in a movie full of incredible scenes. Every performance in this scene is terrific, but for me, this was the scene that, for me, really showed Cyclone as being more than simply a two-dimensional gruff admiral type of character. And Jon Hamm crushed this scene. From the voice crack to the expressions on his face (especially the one right before he ordered them to come back to the carrier), he conveyed beautifully an admiral who made a call he dreaded and under no circumstances wanted to make, but felt like he had no choice otherwise. Fantastic performance from Hamm.

This scene had me holding my breath , just the panic and terror in their voices. If somebody lacked communication they would have fell apart

I feel like this scene has so much going on emotionally at that moment Mav gets hit. Mav knows he's likely going to die by putting his jet in the way of Rooster. Maverick had decades of pain, guilt over losing Goose, and wanting to redeem himself by being a father to Rooster, only to miss out on it because of the resentment Rooster held towards him. Rooster didnt, and couldnt understand Maverick the way Goose and his wife did because he pushed him away. You can tell throughout the movie that it causes so much grief for Mav. All Mav wanted to do was show Rooster that he loved his Dad, and he wanted to make things right by being there for him because he felt tremendous guilt over Goose. Rooster's "Mav, No!!" was the moment Rooster let go and came awash with guilt over the negative picture he had built of Maverick over the years. He realised he totally misunderstood Mav, and in that split second after Mav saves his life, he realises that the only real dude looking out for him was gone. Rooster's pain of not being able to tell Mav he's sorry in that moment, and the grief and guilt that must have immediately consumed him caused him to go into emotional, frantic denial, wanting to save Mav, not wanting to believe that he's dead. This scene is so gut wrenching and completes Mavericks redemption arc. We all know Maverick would go back and die to save Goose in a heartbeat if he could. In this moment, he has a chance to "save Goose" again by taking that missile for Rooster. Maverick would have been thinking of Goose in that moment, and not wanting to let his best friend down again. It just shows how much Mav loved Goose, that he was always "still there" with him in the cockpit when he flew.

This scene was I think the first time I ever saw my dad cry because of movie.

1:35 Beautiful shot.

You know they are gonna make it but you are on the edge of your seat the entire time. We dont get em like this much anymore.

Lack of heavy music is also what immerses you into the cockpit. No immediate blaring action music, just acoustics and sound design to lead you into the situation first. Music.

Seems to be a slight similarity between Maverick’s father’s “classified” missing-in-action (MIA) in the first “Top Gun” movie and Maverick’s being shot down in “Top Gun Maverick”? Viper from the first movie tells Maverick that he and his dad were on a mission over enemy lines, both were in one of the worst dogfights he’d ever seen (TG’s was with “bogies like fireflies all over the sky” and TGM’s was with SAMs), both Maverick’s dad and Maverick saved some other pilots, and both were eventually shot down behind enemy lines. The Admiral left Maverick there and I wonder if it would have been covered up by the military and Rooster figured that out and said, “To Hell with this!”