Has this film been subject to ratings tampering? I ask because as a fair minded armchair critic, I did NOT see an 8.2 star movie.

I saw a retread of the original Top Gun, not that I was inclined to mind that, but the former had a great visual appeal about that this movie singularly failed to replicate.

The Scott brothers were giants of the advertising industry and they often surpassed the biggest movie productions in a golden age where the TV critics hailed the commercials as being better than the programmes. So, when one thinks of Top Gun and of the signature shots - the bike racing the F14, the jet flying over the burning field and the aircraft finale - none of which are matched in this lacklustre revival.

As for the plot, or rather, the lack of it. C'mon, at some point you have to identify the baddies. Yet all we got was 'ooh ooh, so scary ... fifth dimension technology'.

I'll unpack no more than that, but I will repeat my contention ... this movie has had a ratings bump by third party hands.