F-35C was the one in the opening scene.
The Death Star trench run design of the big challenge ruined it all for me. You can still make a movie about old school pilotage and teamwork yada yada with some close in dogfighting and ground striking without crafting a scenario where the use of manned conventional (non stealth) aircraft is the WORST approach and least likely to succeed. The cruise missiles, particularly tomahawks, would themselves fly roughly the same speed as the Hornets and would be subject to the same anti aircraft dangers as the rest of the flyers. If it's going to be CGI anyway, make them JASSMs at least. And use some Growlers and show that side of the engagement, detection, jamming, it can still be a movie! You CAN adapt to the times just a little bit, it will still be fun
Old Top Gun and new Top Gun alike many times made ejection a central theme and made it clear it's a dangerous thing in its own right, except we just started the movie with a Mach 10 RUD at 200k feet agl and cut to Mav walking into a diner asking for some water.
Same with the G forces, it's relevant only after Maverick and Rooster do a death spiral 90 degrees to the ground. Typical movie stuff, but having just a modicum of respect for the subject matter would go a long way.
Agreed on Hondo, he went from black project testing leader or what have you, to useless but loveable and chubby sidekick status in an instant.
The maneuver of choice time and time again to gain the upper hand in their crafted dogfights is the cobra, renowned the world over as an airshow gimmick, and utterly useless in combat. Not to mention the Hornet and especially Tomcat can't do it, but yes, here it works vs an opponent with thrust vectoring. There's other ways to do this that doesn't result in nonsense. I guess I'm in the minority but the technical side of this movie struck well below average even for Hollywood action, and that's saying something