JhonathanOfrath

This was a very strange episode. The only conclusion I could come to at the end of the discussion is that Abe Epperson doesn't really like any Tom Cruise movie. I suppose we should be thankful he didn't choose Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, Born on the Fourth of July or any other Cruise film that merits a real discussion. In terms of canon worthiness, it is impossible to imagine modern sci-fi cinema without the influences of Spielberg and Dick, and Minority Report is a pretty bad representation of them both. (I think it's biggest impact, culturally, was actually on UI design - but I'm not tech savvy enough to really form this argument myself.) Pitting Top Gun against such a minor film distracts from a very interesting question (and the reason I think Top Gun would probably lose the in a solo episode). It seems easier for us to endorse a propaganda film from way-back-when; Stalin and Hitler were monsters, but the films that aggrandize them are just artifacts today. They lost their power to mobilize a crowd. And Top Gun is still pretty cool. This comparison is absurd. But right now Top Gun still has a potential to influence hearts and minds. And that makes it a hard film to support for anyone who disagrees with its politics. This issue did come up again and again in the episode, but I think the "battle" with Minority Report (which btw is pretty much on the other side of the political spectrum) offers too convenient a way to ignore it.