In 2022, Tom Cruise reprised one of his most iconic roles decades after first playing the character. In fact, his portrayal of U.S. fighter pilot Maverick brought Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses into American mainstream pop culture. It’s hard to name another actor who has done more for branding and styling Ray-Ban sunglasses than him, even sporting a pair in 1983’s Risky Business. Over 30 years later, the sequel Top Gun: Maverick was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Original Song, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.
Director Joseph Kosinski is no stranger to reviving classic movies for today’s audiences, having directed Tron: Legacy (2010), which is the follow-up to the sci-fi classic Tron (1982). Top Gun: Maverick sees Val Kilmer’s Iceman return and also introduces Miles Teller’s Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw. Nostalgic Top Gun fans will remember a young Bradley Bradshaw sitting atop a piano as his father Nick “Goose” Bradshaw loudly sings in duet with Maverick.
Although Tom Cruise was not nominated for best actor, his return to the character introduced a whole new generation of fans to the eighties blockbuster. For original Top Gun fans, callbacks and nods to the eighties classic reignited a love for the film and, really, a love for eighties music and cinema well remembered. How well do you remember the original Top Gun? Take the quiz below to find out!
If you enjoyed this quiz, be sure to check out some of our other quizzes, including our Punisher and Umbrella Academy trivia quizzes.
