Featured 3D Blu-ray review: Top Gun

February 17, 2013

Top Gun - 3D Blu-ray - Buy from Amazon

Less than two year ago, I reviewed Top Gun for the fourth time. In that review, I jokingly mentioned I wouldn't have to review it again till it came out on 3D. ... This week it comes out on 3D. ...

The Movie

However, I'm not going to review it again. There's simply no point in reviewing the movie a fifth time. You can read my previous review again. I stand by every word in that review, even the typos.

The Extras

There are no new extras to this version of the Blu-ray. They don't even have the audio commentary track on the 3D disc. Sadly this is still very common for 3D / 2D combo packs. I understand not wanting to convert featurettes to 3D, but that shouldn't prevent audio commentary tracks from being on the 3D disc. Additionally, a lot of the problems I had with the previous Blu-ray release are still present in the 3D version, including a lot of grain. It is distracting at times. On the other hand, the audio is great.

The big question here is the 3D conversion. Did they do a good job? For the most part, yes. The dog-fighting scenes obviously benefit the most from the conversion, with a lot of added depth and separation. There are only a few places where the 3D goes a little wonky, including some scenes that were cut just a little too fast for 3D. There are definitely differences in how you shoot a film in 3D vs. 2D. Quick cuts in 3D are a nightmare for your eyes. Sometimes a post-production 3D conversion ruins a movie, and many times it is a gimmick that adds nothing to the movie. Here, it actually improves the movie. I still think it is silly, but at least the action scenes were better.

The Verdict

A lot of people love Top Gun and think it is one of the best action movies of the 1980s, or indeed one of the best action movies of all time. I am not one of those people. On the other hand, I will admit that the 3D Blu-ray is the best home market release for the film thus far. And unless they perform a million dollar restoration on the film for an Ultra High Definition release, this is as good as it will get.


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Filed under: Video Review, Top Gun