Clint Eastwood had already predicted the enduring success of Tom Cruise in the industry when he stated that Cruise would outlast all other actors by at least a century. However, one individual appears to believe that Tom Cruise surpassed the legend himself, with his movie, Top Gun: Maverick. Astronaut Chris Hadfield praised Cruise and criticized Eastwood while analyzing some aerospace films for Vanity Fair.
Eastwood’s film, Space Cowboys, was released in 2000 as an adventure drama film, with an emphasis on ‘adventure’. However, in his pursuit of making a space film with his usual Western flavor, the Unforgiven actor missed the mark when it came to scientific accuracy.
Space Cowboys Was One Of The Least Favorites For This Real-Life Astronaut
Chris Hadfield analyzed a number of aerospace movies and series, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Wars, and For All Mankind, along with the Tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood movies. It was evident that Space Cowboys ranked low in terms of scientific accuracy in Hadfield’s eyes. The film explored the story of four former test pilots being trained for a space mission.
Firstly, Hadfield took issue with the premise of the film, which depicted elderly individuals being used for a space mission with only months of training. Drawing from his own experience, Hadfield noted that he had been an astronaut for 21 years, during which he spent only six months in space. In a realistic scenario, astronauts begin training in their prime years and undergo years of preparation before embarking on a space mission.
The former fighter pilot particularly deconstructed a flawed centrifuge training scene in the film, which, in a real-life scenario, would have been fatal to those involved. Further, Hadfield also called out the adventure aspect of the film, stating that while he acknowledged its entertainment value, astronauts like him were not thrill seekers in real life. Hadfield told Vanity Fair:
“You have to have gotten the university degrees, had all that thousands of hours of flying, and practiced and simulated and learned, so that you can go do something with an airplane nobody ever did before. But we are not thrill seekers. We’re not adrenaline junkies. We are definitely not cowboys. You need careful and thoughtful and well-trained and disciplined and teamwork-oriented people. Otherwise, you’re all gonna die, but you know, it’s Space Cowboy, so, saddle up, let’s ride this bronco.”
However, the same was not Hadfield’s experience with the Tom Cruise film. The director was pleased with some of the creative choices in the film.
The Former Astronaut Praised Tom Cruise For His Attention To Detail
Clint Eastwood’s 4-0 lead over Tom Cruise at the Oscars came crashing down when Chris Hadfield revealed his love for Top Gun: Maverick. The Jerry Maguire actor took on the baton from Eastwood as the modern-day masculine action star in Hollywood. However, Cruise did not limit himself to merely providing thrills to his audience; rather he chose to invest himself in the movie.
The Mission: Impossible actor added little details from his experience as a pilot into the Top Gun sequel. Hadfield appreciated these details in the movie, which may be irrelevant to the plot but still carried authenticity. Hadfield cited the scene where Cruise says the line, “I have information, Alpha”, during takeoff. This realistic touch delighted Hadfield as the former astronaut shared with Vanity Fair:
“I love this movie. I do not know of a better pilot flying movie that has ever been made. Kudos to the people that made this film, and especially to Tom Cruise. […] There’s a delightful little touch that Tom Cruise stuck in here. When as he’s taxiing out to takeoff, he says, “I have information Alpha.” […] It didn’t need to be in the movie, but it’s real. And, and I just love that it’s in there.”
Clearly, in the aerospace movie category, Tom Cruise emerges as the winner, according to Chris Hadfield. The film became the Jack Reacher actor’s highest-grossing film, raking in $1.496 billion at the box office. However, the Clint Eastwood film was also a box office success, grossing $128.9 million against a budget of $60-$65 million.
Top Gun: Maverick is now available for streaming on Paramount+, while Space Cowboys is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
