WhileMaverick is the Top GunIt went on to become an instant blockbuster. Recently, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, deemed the stunts impossible. Tom Cruise plays the role of Navy pilot Maverick in the movie. After reaching Mach 10.5 (the speed the plane travels at), he is forced to get out of the cockpit.
On his Twitter account, Tyson mentions how that scene would “splatter” Maverick immediately after he left the plane. “Late to the party here, but in this year’s Top Gun, Tom Cruise’s character Maverick ejects from a hypersonic plane at Mach 10.5, before it crashed. He was uninjured. At that airspeed, his body would splatter like a chainmail glove swatting a worm,” Tyson tweeted. After explaining the math, he added: “So, no. Maverick will not leave this. He be dead. Very dead.”
NEIL ITS CALLED WILLFUL SUSPENSION of DISBELIEF! We KNOW IT IS NOT PLAUSIBLE! ITS FOR STORYTELLING IS NOT TO BE BELIEVED. ITS FICTION NAIL!! ENTERTAINMENT!! NEEEEEILL!! pic.twitter.com/PFo0B7Tzar
— Jared Kreaturechevsky (@Monstermash042) October 9, 2022
Air cannot move at supersonic speeds. It must be pierced, which is a major reason for the differences in fuselage designs between supersonic and subsonic planes.
If your body is ejecting at these speeds, it might as well be a brick wall. pic.twitter.com/psN8aoAT2e
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
When Maverick ejected at Mach 10.5, he was going 7,000 mph, giving him 400 million joules of kinetic energy — the explosive power of 100 kg of TNT. It is an unimaginable situation for human physiology.
So, no. Maverick doesn’t walk away from it. He be dead. He is very dead.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
In this year’s @TopGunMovieThey dangerously fly below radar through narrow canyons to destroy targets and avoid multiple banks of surface missiles.
Why not destroy the missile banks first? Then, you could fly without having to do daredevil maneuvers. Just sayin’. pic.twitter.com/2FYyUjJdp1
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) October 9, 2022
He wrote about the Top Gun pilots and their mission, “they dangerously fly under the radar, through a narrow, winding canyon to destroy a target, avoiding multiple banks of surface-to-air missiles. Why not destroy the missile banks first? Then, you could fly without having to do daredevil maneuvers. Just sayin’.”
According to Screen Rant, Maverick was travelling “ten times the speed of sound.” Although there is no in-depth data on this, Screen Rant says it was much faster than any “recorded airspeed in history”. Pilots Eldon W. Morgan Jr. and George T. Morgan Jr. hold the record for the fastest flight. They reached Mach 3.3 (2199 mph) in a Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, in 1976. Even for the sake of comparison, if Maverick’s Darkstar hit Mach 9, which is approximately 6905 mph, that’s still thrice the speed of what the duo achieved. Thus, Maverick: Top GunIt is not scientifically sound.
Despite the obvious error, the movie is still entertaining.
While Tyson’s criticism sheds light on how physics works, it should not be applied to movies because the latter is a way of escapism. Theatres are a place where people go knowing that it is fiction. The director and writers have allowed the audience to feel what a fictional character would feel. As seen in Top GunMaverick chose to push to Mach 10, because he knows that if he doesn’t, his colleagues and livelihoods could be at risk. Their hard work will also be at stake. This movie defied all science because it showed the excitement of the characters and the audiences. If it had followed the standard example, we would have left the theatres before the interval.
Oder even earlier…
— Phil McCrackin (@mccrackin592) October 11, 2022
I remember when you thought BB-8 couldn’t roll on the sand, when it was actually a real practical effect that rolled just fine. pic.twitter.com/X6opSccw2F
— ToastyZelda (@ToastyZelda) October 11, 2022
Back to escapism now. There are many movies that target niche interests. Top GunThis was a commercial movie. Everything rested on artistic ability. Maverick created an immersive experience in which the audience could feel the emotions of the characters as they flew in their fast jets. This is what made the movie so popular. They attempted to make it as authentic in 3D, CGI age as possible. Instead of focusing on what, Tyson asked the “how”, which shows that he didn’t go to the movie with an open head. As one of the Twitterartis pointed out, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Tom Cruise movie and thought yeah…the science probably checks out on that one.’”
Always🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
— Jefferson’s Ghost ✍️🇺🇦 (@skookull1) October 10, 2022
It’s not surprising that he is being dismissed like this because Tyson is known to be someone who can not read the room. Tyson once asked the movie director questions. Arrival (2016), four years after its release stating that “In the film Arrival (2016) nobody wondered whether the circular patterns drawn by the creature were backwards. The septopoid Alien drew them from the other side of a transparent glass wall.” Many came to the movie’s defence stating that it was explained in Arrival. This makes it difficult to understand why tweets were created. Is it to point out how dumb the audience is, or a concern to ‘educate’ them?
He’s the same teacher that you thought was so cool. After he had explained things in an easy to understand way, you returned to college for winter break. You go out for beers together and you realize that he is a prick.
— 🏆 West Central WI Sneezing for Volume Champ🏆 (@fartdad87) February 25, 2020
Many movies also go against the rules of science in order to make the movie memorable. We are all tired of our routine lives. A movie that defies logic will pull us out of boredom, before we resume our journey and recall the moments we once felt.
Here are some classic examples of these iconic films. The Matrix, Star Wars Jurassic Park franchise. Although the Matrix was about the human batteries that powered it, a human body at rest needs a fair amount of energy. The machine’s output is small compared to the energy required to keep it alive. SyFy Wire reports. Ben Burtt’s famous ship inspired the idea of sound. Star Wars is also false because space doesn’t have sound. Insufficient feathers are a sign of a lack of feathers. Jurassic Park It is still exciting to see the dinosaurs.
Although Neil DeGrasse Tyson has a lot of knowledge, it is its positioning that is crucial. It shouldn’t be at the expense of describing an artistic work to the benefit of the audience. And despite what he had to say, it did not spoil fans’ excitement for Maverick: Top Gun
