Naval aviation students dual it out in the air, romance the girls on the ground. It isn't any wonder why "Top Gun" was such a smash with audiences circa 1986: it puts to use the punchy, pulsating rhythms of the slickly-edited videos of MTV's peak era and wraps them up in "Miami Vice"-styled cool. It couldn't miss--especially not without the face of then-current heartthrob Tom Cruise front and center. Still, the film more often than not resembles a hearty civil service recruitment ad (underlined with smug machismo), and is photographed and scored as such. Yes, it looks great, all expensive commercials do. Cruise doesn't act so much as he does strut, however this swagger doesn't help him much in the love-department as he is partnered with Kelly McGillis, playing a leggy, brainy instructor (she's too leggy and brainy for Tom, and seems far out of his league). The movie struck a nerve with both men and women eager to indulge in the over-scaled presentation and cocky contrivances, however today it opens itself up to parody. *1/2 from ****