Quentin Tarantino is a legendary filmmaker responsible for several classics, including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2, Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained, and most recently, Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. The longtime director knows a thing or two about crafting a successful film, so his approval means a lot to anyone within the filmmaking industry.
Over the years, Tarantino has expressed his admiration for specific projects, including the British children's show Peppa Pig, while voicing his displeasure with the mass takeover of mainstream films such as Star Wars or the Marvel Studios films. The director, like many others, was worried about the movie industry following the COVID-19 pandemic. He was pleased to see films like Top Gun: Maverick and West Side Story bring larger-than-life spectacles back to the theater. During an interview with the ReelBlend Podcast this week, Tarantino shared his respect and love for the two films which released this past year while admitting he doesn't enjoy talking about new movies because if he doesn't say something good, then he's 'slamming' someone.
"I don't want to do that. But in this case, I f*****g loved Top Gun: Maverick. I thought it was fantastic. I saw it at the theaters... That and [Steven] Spielberg's West Side Story both provided a true cinematic spectacle, the kind that I'd almost thought that I wasn't going to see anymore. It was fantastic."
He added his thoughts on the scene with Cruise and Val Kilmer, saying it was almost too cheesy, but it worked.
"[It] was almost too cheap, but it absolutely works. It's a bit like Charlie Chaplin dying on stage for the last scene of Limelight... but it f*****g works. You're waiting for it and the f*****g scene delivers."
It's fantastic to see an all-time great filmmaker excited about the movie industry again, proving that the days of a packed theater aren't over yet.
Tarantino Wasn't Sure About a Top Gun Sequel Without the Original Director
Tony Scott helmed the original Top Gun, responsible for several action-heavy movies, including True Romance, Beverly Hills Cop II, and Enemy of the State. Quentin Tarantino told ReelBlend he was unsure of a Top Gun sequel without the original director, however, he felt he was honored with the fantastic follow-up.
"But also there was just this lovely, lovely aspect because I love both [original Top Gun director] Tony Scott's cinema so much, and I love Tony so much that that's as close as we're ever going to get to seeing one more Tony Scott movie. [Director Joseph Koskinski] did a great job. The respect and the love of Tony was in every frame. It was almost in every decision. It was consciously right there, but in this really cool way that was really respectful. And I think it was in every decision Tom [Cruise] made on the film. It's the closest we're ever going to get to seeing one more Tony Scott movie, and it was a f*****g terrific one."
Unfortunately, Tony Scott died in 2012, however, friend and collaborator Quentin Tarantino is glad he got to experience a film that respected and honored the filmmakers' legacy the way Top Gun: Maverick did.