When was the last time Tom Cruise starred in a good, original movie? | Source: Scott Garfield/Paramount Pictures via AP
- Paramount just delayed Top Gun: Maverick until December.
- They should’ve delayed it indefinitely until they can create a good, original movie.
- We should demand more from Hollywood and its stars than a constant stream of recycled material.
Top Gun: Maverick is the latest victim of the coronavirus pandemic. Paramount announced today that they will be pushing the movie’s release date back until December.
But for people who enjoy good movies, that’s not nearly far enough.
Is Anyone Tired of Actors Living in the Past?
I get it. We all love a bit of nostalgia in our lives, especially when our current lives are a constant waking nightmare. But can we not demand more from our movie stars than a regurgitation of what they’ve already done?
Tom Cruise starred in the original Top Gun in 1986, over thirty years go. Can we not just leave it in the past? Tom still, theoretically, has what it takes to play the lead in an original, blockbuster movie. Not that he’s proven it.
Cruise is still leading big movies, but they’re all franchises. They’ve all been established years ago. He’s living off of the Mission Impossible series, which has two new sequels in the works. He’s supplanting that with the Jack Reacher saga, which started in 2012. He even tried, and failed miserably, at resurrecting the Mummy franchise.
You could argue that Tom Cruise hasn’t starred in a good, standalone movie since Edge of Tomorrow. That was six years ago.
Hollywood Needs To Give Us Something New, Not Another Top Gun
I know there’s a ton of you out there who are giddy about Top Gun: Maverick, and you are part of the problem. Hollywood is taking fewer shots at great, original movies than ever because it knows that people will buy something they’re familiar with.
That’s why studios make terrible movies like The Emoji Movie or Sonic the Hedgehog. I’m sorry, but Footloose should not be a trending topic in 2011. The Robocop remake in 2014 was trash. And of course, Tom Cruise’s version of The Mummy was one of the worst movies ever made. It scored a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Universal threw nearly $400 million into production and ads, and that’s the only reason it flopped. People still spent over $300 million watching that abysmal remake.
Assuming Top Gun: Maverick rakes in a hefty profit, which is a big assumption in this rapidly changing world, expect more of the same. Where we could be viewing a groundbreaking new film, we’ll be watching a reboot of Risky Business instead. Be on the lookout for a big-budget regurgitation of Cocktail. But if you’re looking for something exciting and brand new like, I don’t know, the original Top Gun, then you’ll be waiting much longer than eight months.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of CCN.com.
