Top Gun | Tom Cruise | Maverick

Twenty-five years ago, Tom Cruise took the highway to the danger zone, playing iconic military hero Maverick in Top Gun, a blockbuster motion picture that defined an era. Legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer reflects on the film’s making as it celebrates its silver anniversary with the release of a Blu-ray/Digital Copy combo pack (Paramount Home Entertainment, $20).

“Before we began shooting, we spent time at the actual Top Gun facilities at NAS Miramar and the Naval Training Center in San Diego. We went up in the F-14s and landed on the aircraft carrier decks. We went through psychological testing for F-14 certification. We learned how to withstand high g-forces. We had to escape an ejection seat in water. This is not typical preparation for a movie! We knew that if we could give audiences a sense of that incredible excitement we experienced, we could create something like Star Wars on earth — something they’d never seen before.”