Top Gun: Maverick, is now out!

This gives me an opportunity to opine on how many people have badly misunderstood the original 1986 movie. Far from exalting Maverick (the fighter pilot character played by Tom Cruise), the film is actually a biting condemnation of him. He does almost everything wrong until near the very end. The real hero, if there is one, is Iceman, the much more calm and rational pilot played by Val Kilmer.

There follow spoilers for the 1986 movie. If that bothers you, all I can say is you clearly do NOT feel the need for speed. And you can never, ever be my wingman!

Here's a nonexhaustive list of Maverick's terrible mistakes that the movie condemns:

1. In the very first scene, Maverick leaves his wingman, enabling a MIG to get a lock on Cougar, leading the latter to be mentally traumatized, and costing the Navy the services of a topnotch pilot.
2. Maverick makes a jackass of himself by trying to hit on "Charlie" (Kelly McGillis) in the bar. This relatively small mistake is compounded by his later pursuing an affair with her despite her turning out to be one of his Top Gun instructors. In fairness, this is the one mistake he makes that does NOT lead to dire consequences. But it still establishes him as a character who takes dumb risks.
3. He goes below the hard deck, needlessly getting himself in trouble, to score points that won’t even count under the Top Gun rules. In the process, he needlessly antagonizes the Top Gun instructors.
4. He "buzzes" the tower. Once again, needlessly antagonizing influential people for no good reason.
5. He leaves his wingman in a Top Gun exercise (repeating his error from the first scene), and gets "shot down" by Viper. This demonstrates how he doesn't learn from even the most blatant of his mistakes.
6. After the above events, Iceman takes him to task:
   "[I]t's not your flying, it's your attitude. The enemy's dangerous, but right now you're worse. Dangerous and foolish. You may not like who's flying with you, but whose side are you on?"
   Iceman is completely right, and his own approach to flying is clearly superior to Maverick's. But Maverick blows him off, and again learns nothing.
7. Maverick's over-aggressive tactics lead him to crash the plane, causing the death of his RIO and best friend, Goose. Yes, I know the investigation clears Maverick. But everyone (including, finally, Maverick himself!) recognizes that he deserves the lion's share of the blame.

After 7, Maverick FINALLY sees the error of his ways, and he redeems himself in the engagement that ends the move - in which he pointedly does NOT leave his wingman. He belatedly recognizes Iceman was right all along and (sort of) reconciles with him.

It's true that even before this Maverick was an incredibly talented pilot, and a very brave man. But, as Iceman points out, his "dangerous and foolish" behavior made him more of a menace to his own side than to the enemy. The point of the movie is that you should NOT be like Maverick.

Many people miss the point of the story because 1) Maverick is the protagonist, and many assume the protagonist must also be the hero, 2) Iceman is - superficially - set up to be a kind villain/antagonist because we see him mostly through the eyes of his jealous rival Maverick and the latter's best friend Goose, and 3) Tom Cruise is an incredibly charismatic actor.

But it's true, nonetheless! The lesson is to "never, ever leave your wingman," and don't be a "dangerous and foolish" prick. Only after you learn these truths will you be fit to enter the danger zone!