MovieChat Forums > Days of Thunder (1990) Discussion > Better than Top Gun !

Better than Top Gun !

posted 13 years ago by missionbegins2011
17 replies | jump to latest

I saw days of thunder recently on TV, the same team comprising of cruise, bruckheimer and scott from top gun have made this movie and i think they have topped their previous, days of thunder was more enjoyable then top gun (although i am a top gun fan as well), it has a better script, better cast (duvall was amazing) and very little deviation from the main topic i.e NASCAR, the movie had a documentry feel to it as it sometimes went into technicalities of race cars and also at the same time was very commercial, It also dealt very well with the human aspects of confidence and egomaniac behaviours

Perhaps the only thing that was missing was a soundtrack by harold faltermayer which made top gun what it is, Its strange that Days of thunder (although still a financial success) could not even manage half of what top gun made at the box office

[–] LuccaBrasi 13 years ago

I am really happy for you .You managed to find a lot of good points in the most generic ,painted by numbers, tom cruise cash vehicle that was ever made................Dumb Dumb film.Even at the time when i was 12 i thought this movie was boring!!!!!

[–] missionbegins2011 13 years ago

I dont know...but i enjoyed it a lot, may be it has to do something with how well cruise plays such cocky but likable characters and robert duvall was simply magnificient, I think top gun qualifies for the 'classics' category (big contribution from its killer soundtrack), but this one was definitely more entertaining....

Chance favours the prepared mind

[–] Jeff0015 13 years ago

yes.

Rowdy=Iceman
Harry= Viper
Russ Wheeler=The Russians

[–] Mississippi20 13 years ago

I am really happy for you .You managed to find a lot of good points in the most generic ,painted by numbers, tom cruise cash vehicle that was ever made................Dumb Dumb film.Even at the time when i was 12 i thought this movie was boring!!!!!

I agree the film is something of a "generic, painted by numbers, cash vehicle"......'Top Gun' made like almost $200 million domestically - which for 1986 was astronomical. Jerry Bruckheimer's always been about the $$$ so it's only natural he'd team up with Cruise again for this unofficial sequel. But I certainly can't call the film boring.

Lke Top Gun, this film has cheese. That being said, it entertains. The on-track action is actually well-shot and exciting (if you can overlook the inconsistencies) - I think you have to give Tony Scott credit as a director here because he's got a good eye. And I actually really like Hans Zimmer's score.

The cast is really good too - Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall are fantastic and it's great seeing them work together. Kidman, Rooker, and Quaid are also very good.

It's one of those films you just can't take very seriously. Call it a guilty pleasure if you will, but I can't call it boring.

[–] spookyrat1 10 years ago

I agree the film is something of a "generic, painted by numbers, cash vehicle"...

I agree. It's shaped from the same template as Top Gun, but doesn't have the same finish to the product. Passable nevertheless.

[–] teja990 13 years ago

the romance factor was missing
the scenes between tom and nic are too bad
other than for that days of thunder is on par with top gun

[–] Mississippi20 13 years ago

the romance factor was missing
the scenes between tom and nic are too bad
other than for that days of thunder is on par with top gun

It's there just as it is in Top Gun. Both are pretty cheesy romantic stories.

[–] 13 years ago

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[–] cheeso65 12 years ago

Saying Days of Thunder is better than Top Gun is like saying Velveeta is better than Spam.

[–] 12 years ago

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[–] Galagatron 11 years ago

"Its strange that Days of thunder (although still a financial success) could not even manage half of what top gun made at the box office."

When Top Gun came out, its look was revolutionary. The media often used the term "MTV style" to describe it, and MTV was just settling into being a mainstream household staple. It was also driven by popular songs, which Days of Thunder lacked, and it didn't have much competition in theaters. Top Gun also had the fortune of coming out in the middle of a wave of mid-'80s patriotism propelled by the loss of the space shuttle Challenger, buoyed by the much-promoted 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty, and having the luck of coming out right after the news covered US operations against Libya that put F-14's and aircraft carriers on the front pages.
In 1990 NASCAR was still followed by more of a niche market and this slick Hollywood movie was seen by some as exploitation, and the action movie field was crowded that summer. Total Recall, Another 48 Hours, Dick Tracy, Robocop 2, Die Hard 2...Days of Thunder wasn't as strong a contender. Cruise's Maverick cockiness wasn't new and "cute" anymore and he was getting jibed for that sort of persona, especially compared to his performances in critically-acclaimed films like Rain Man and Born of the Fourth of July.

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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