Jerry Bruckheimer explains why action movies haven’t changed much since Top Gun

polygon.com:

Name an object, and a Jerry Bruckheimer film has probably blown it up. For decades now, the prolific producer — often working with longtime colleague Don Simpson — has defined what blockbuster cinema action looks like. Bruckheimer-produced films are nigh-unmissable, even among those who haven’t seen them: The Rock, Armageddon, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and National Treasure all bear his stamp. Simpson died in 1996, but this month, his name appears on screen alongside Bruckheimer’s in Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel to one of their definitive 1980s hits.

Maverick is a film with tactile appeal, one that uses every inch of the screen and every speaker in a theater to make audiences feel like they’re in a fighter jet. It’s much like its predecessor in that regard, but it goes further, with copious footage shot by pilots from within their own jets. But in 2022, viewers are going to multiverses and hanging with superheroes on a regular basis. Is a vivid, real-life fighter jet experience enough to make a blockbuster work?

In a conversation with Polygon, Bruckheimer had a simple answer: Yes, it is. Actors threw up to bring you this movie. The Navy got involved. It has Tom Cruise. This is why you go to a theater.

This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.

Polygon: It feels like Top Gun: Maverickhas a lot of hype behind it for a sequel to a 36-year-old movie. Why do you think that is?

Jerry Bruckheimer: Well, I think there’s the stars here from the first movie. A lot of men have come up to me and said, Look, my dad took me to see Top Gunwhen I was 10. I want to take my son and my daughter to see [Maverick]. It was a great experience for me when I was a kid, and for my dad. I think