High as You Can Go

The original Top Gun is not a great movie, but it is an iconic one.  Despite its several risible elements, it’s outlasted conventionally better films in American pop culture by sheer virtue of being so damn memorable.  It’s a factory of classic movie moments, from the orange-soaked, “Danger Zone”-scored opening to the impromptu bar serenade to, yes, the beach volleyball scene.  That these highlights never add up to a fully-formed movie is beside the point; the fact that Top Gun has managed to spawn a sequel thirty-six years later is proof of its unique staying power.