I do find it interesting that no one got bent over the female pilot being one of the ones selected. You could see it coming a mile away but I also thought that they made her a roughly equivalent character in terms of skills to the other pilots versus being ridiculously overpowering so when she gets the nod, it feels like she earned it but it was a close decision. If we could just do away with the word "woke" altogether, that'd be fantastic.
Both Top Guns could not have been made without actual support from the US military.
In effect, the cost to support the production of TGM was massive. But it's seen, like the first film, as a type of marketing. The first Top Gun generated a ton of military recruitment. So of course this film will have a "diverse" cast.
In order to get DOD support, they usually insist on final veto of the script ( i.e. they do not want situations or themes or plots that make the military look in a bad light) Notice in this film, there is little to no description of the "enemy" at all. The only thing clear is they were likely not Asian, which would incite the Asian, particularly the Chinese, film markets.
Black Hawk Down got DOD support, in exchange, there are things from the Mark Bowden book that never got discussed or filmed. Shawn Ryan and David Mamet made a TV show on CBS, The Unit, which did not get official support, because they insisted on a storyline that showed infidelity. Which raised the cost of the budget, which limited the options, which probably made it easier to cancel the show later if it cost too much.
No one got "bent over" Barbaro/Phoenix because she wasn't turned into a Mary Sue like Rey in Star Wars. Just magically awesome and always right, from the start.
This is a rare case where the star power ( Tom Cruise) was able to over ride the common agenda in most modern films, because he's "bankable" and he delivers big box office and big dollars to his films.
"Woke" and criticism of it is not going away. The past decade or more has shown the breaking of the first rule of the entertainment world - Never attack your audience.
Some people here believe modern films are not woke and want people to stop talking about it. Some people here, like myself, believe that they are. Let's see who prevails. If more people in the former group can support the financial success of films, TV shows, music, books, sports, etc, etc, in those themes and activism, then it will keep happening. However if more people like me just stop supporting those brands, those franchises, those IPs, those channels, those networks, those show runners, those actors, etc ,etc, then it will stop.
What makes "woke" ridiculous in my eyes is it always bends the knee to the God Of Money. So how much virtue is signaling when that happens? How strong are those principles when it can be swayed by dollars alone?
TGM avoided woke because Tom Cruise wanted something different. And he's powerful enough to make that happen. Most people in Hollywood are not.
So let's see whose wallets will prevail. Will the people who want activism in their entertainment spend enough to offset those who leave? I don't see it happening personally,but maybe I'll be surprised.
I would rather see IPs I love or loved or grew up with die off and burn to the ground before they get rebooted with woke. I'd rather see no more Terminator or no more Predator or no more Star Wars if all we are going to get is the woke version. And when enough money is lost, it will end. But many of those fans will never come back. Every IP that chooses to promote agenda, activism, identity politics and grievance cancel culture should be demonetized.
My uncle taught me something as a kid - When people are miserable with what you are giving them, then give them nothing at all, see how they like that instead.
No one wins when you keep attacking your audience because they are offended by agenda over good writing, good storytelling, respecting the characters, respecting the world building and appreciating your fan base.
For those who disagree, let's see if your crowd can buy enough movie tickets for you to get your way.
