I hear some youtubers say that the tide is turning and they cite things like the Chappelle special or the Gervais special. I can kind of see where they are coming from, but people still flock to see Marvel movies and Marvel along with other studios still can't shut up about representation.
I would have to see the following to believe a major tide is turning:
Black character in a movie where they don't need to discuss race
Male character doesn't need to be surrounded by "much better" women
Gay character has a devout Christian friend/relative who still loves and respects them despite their beliefs
A book adaptation where the main character is white..... is actually white in the show/movie
Period pieces actually look like the people from that period.
Any show/movie that addresses immigration doesn't make anyone who isn't for open borders an evil person.
Yes, I know that is unrealistic but seeing as how Wheel of Time was a book that had plenty of females and non-white characters once they leave their area and they still had to butcher the source material I have little hope and will continue with my rule of "be very wary of anything made after 2014".
What do y'all think? Is the tide actually turning and I'm just too cynical to see it?
With respect, having also seen the movie and loved it, I think you are just looking for reasons to nitpick.
The "cool, collected" ones still have their own issues. Phoenix has an arrogant streak to her as well, she just keeps it in check better. And while Hangman is indeed a cocky asshole, it is repeatedly shown throughout the movie that, like Mav in the first movie, he is cocky because he has the skill to back it up. He is the only one who can even keep up with Mav in training, with everyone else consistently losing. I also think calling Bob a "pathetic mal-adjusted autistic loser" is not accurate. He is shown to be a mild stick in the mud when first meeting everyone, but in other scenes you see him cut loose and actually get along and join in the party. Also worth mentioning that Bob is more in line with most fighter pilots I have ever met, if that means anything to you.
For authority figures, the black one standing up for him is one. The only other prominent black guy is Mavs personal mechanic. And the black guy is outranked by the white guy who dislikes Mav. And part of the point is that Mav has done tons of shit that he would have gotten him either thrown out of the Navy or even arrested. Its explicitly stated that the only reason he even still has his wings is because Iceman is using his Admiral rank to protect him.
And of course, the dinner scene is nothing like you describe. He is getting gwacked at because he is out of place and covered in scorching. The only one who calls him a "space man" is a little kid who wouldnt know better. I also wouldnt describe the crowd as "backward rednecks." They looked like totally average working class people, nothing more, nothing less.
Dont get me wrong. I think Hollywood will burn before it changes its ways. I just dont think Top Gun is an example of being woke unless you want to make the bar for "woke" be so low as to be useless.
Look, I get it. It's nitpicky, I know. If it were just this movie, it would be no big deal. Just a coincidence. And like I said, I enjoyed it.
I understood the plot just fine. I understood why Mav was liked by some authority figures. I understood why Mav was disliked by other authority figures. But we, the audience, know that Mav is the good guy and we're supposed to root for him. His antagonists were the white guys, and the sympathetic characters that we, the audience, are supposed to agree with are the black guys.
The pilot personalities were honestly a minor part of the movie. It was just typical and predictable. They were mostly forgettable.
As for the diner scene, let me tell you what would have happened in an actual rural diner if he had walked in like that: everyone would have immediately said, "holy crap! You look awful! Are you ok? What happened?" because that's what happens in rural communities. There would have been no awkward silence as everybody stared at him. Yes, I know it was played for laughs. But I've heard that particular joke a million times already and predictable jokes are boring.
And like I said, it's not just this movie. It's every fucking casting decision in every goddamn Hollywood movie. People have been complaining about how racist and sexist Hollywood is for decades, and honestly, at this point I agree with them. But not for the reasons they state.