This is post is based on the very idea that got us thinking about starting this blog. This submission is what we call Top That!! The first idea we (well, Sara) came up with was in honor of Top Gun Day last Friday. So I proudly present our very first Top That list.
Top 5 Reasons Why Die hard is Better Than Top Gun
1. Main Character: John McClain is an every-man who we can all relate to. He’s a cop, with a couple of kids, and a crumbling marriage. He’s found himself in the classic “wrong place at the wrong time” plot device, but it works for the character, and how Bruce Willis plays him. He could be your Dad. On the other hand, Pete “Maverick” Thompson is a self confident, ego driven pilot who doesn’t seem to care about much except for himself. Pete’s the dickhead older brother archetype. He’s the asshole your sister’s dating. No one likes that guy. Having confidence is great, but having too much isn’t interesting at all. If I’m ever trapped in a half built tower in Los Angeles with a bunch of European terrorists, I’d rather take my chances with McClain.
2. Cultural Effect: Top Gun was basically a recruiting tool for the Navy, which is why they cooperated with the film makers. It’s beloved by our generation, without a doubt. But I’d argue not to the point that Die Hard is. TG never spawned a sequel (while DH has 3) and you don’t hear anyone referring to a new action movie as “Top Gun in a bank.”
3. Supporting Characters: Top Gun is very much Pete’s movie. The other characters are there pretty much just for window dressing. No one is fleshed out, and you’re not connecting, because the characters are hidden behind helmets and planes. All the supporting characters in TG are on the side of the protagonist, so there isn’t really any tension at all. Well, except for Ice Man’s gum snapping. The supporting characters in DH are what make the flick great. Try to imagine the movie without Hans, without Sgt. Al Powell, or even without Ellis. All utterly unforgettable, funny, tragic and…epically quotable. These characters are far more integral to the polot of DH as well. McClain is battling against terrorists that are very much apart of the story onscreen, as opposed to TG, which is man v. self. I think for an action flick man v. world works a hell of a lot better.
4. Comedy Factor: Die Hard is a funny movie hands down. Violent, but funny. There’s no arguing with that fact. Moments of levity, along with characters mostly used as fodder for laughs. I think TG takes itself way too seriously. Maybe that’s why there have been parodies of TG, but not of DH. Nothing wrong with a little levity, right? TG does get extra points for a few quips, namely the “rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong” line.
5. Lasting Overall Effect: As I alluded to earlier, DH on a bus, DH in the Old West, DH on a ship–that’s enough evidence of how much DH has impacted cinema, and pop culture. No doubt TG has it’s fevered fans, and I am one, but I don’t routinely watch or quote TG like I do with DH. I do think Top Gun kills it on sex appeal, though. The volleyball scene alone helped shuttle me into adolescence, if you get my drift, and it’s definitely a lasting and memorable scene. The scenes between Kelly McGillis and Tom Cruise are sensual and romantic enough for chicks to totally dig. And what woman would turn down being sung to at a bar by a bunch of hot dudes in uniform? TG shows you can have a bit of that sensitive crap mixed in with action, and it’s not too bad.
To sum things up, I love both Top Gun and Die Hard. Both awesome movies that I know forwards and back. I think the one man against the world to save his wife is so much more powerful than a whiny bitch crying about his dead Dad the whole movie. Top that!
Sara
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