MSNBC Editor: Pro-America Message in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ Is ‘Poisonous’

An MSNBC editor has slammed Tom Cruise’s anti-woke smash hit movie “Top Gun: Maverick” by arguing that its pro-America message is “poisonous.”

MSNBC opinion writer and editor Zeeshan Aleem said he is actively rooting against the Best Picture-nominated “Top Gun” sequel.

In a Saturday column, Aleem complains that the adrenaline-fueled film paints a picture of the United States military that’s too positive.

Aleem explains that the movie is sending a patriotic message that he blasts as “insidious” and “poisonous.”

He argues that the movie is “propaganda” that seeks to encourage viewers to respect the U.S. military.

He did, however, acknowledge that large numbers of fans find the movie entertaining.

“‘Top Gun’ is as insidious as it is entertaining,” Aleem said.

“It does not merely revive a forgotten human-centered spectacle; it also beckons for a return to accepting the American war machine as a beacon of virtue and excitement.”

Aleem argues that the film’s nostalgic pro-America theme encourages viewers to “love” the idea of war.

He further elaborates by claiming that the movie glorifies the excitement of battle which, in turn, glorifies war in itself.

“It’s a poisonous kind of nostalgia, one that smuggles love of endless war into a celebration of live action,” he writes.

Aleem referred to the summer blockbuster as “literal propaganda,” noting that the military had given filmmakers access to real aircraft in exchange for some oversight.

“In exchange for access to military aircraft, the producers of the movie agreed to allow the Defense Department to include its own ‘key talking points’ in the script,” he wrote.

“Perhaps equally important, the script had to be written in a manner that flatters the military in order to secure the buy-in of the Pentagon.”

Aleem went on to argue that the 2022 film and its predecessor were used to “rehab” the military’s image, after periods of waning popularity.

The original film, he said, helped the military’s reputation recover after Vietnam — and the sequel “diverts from the failed war on terror, and comes as defense officials eye the rise of China.”

“I don’t object to anyone’s enjoyment of the film, but I hope it tanks at the Oscars,” Aleem concluded.

“It’s possible to make thrilling action without so brazenly priming the public for warfare.”

In addition to “Top Gun: Maverick,” the other 2023 Best Picture nominees are as follows:

• “The Banshees of Inisherin”
• “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
• “All Quiet on the Western Front”
• “The Fabelmans”
• “Avatar: The Way of Water”
• “Elvis”
• “Tár”
• “Triangle of Sadness”
• “Women Talking.”

The ceremony will take place on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

READ MORE: Kayleigh McEnany Reviews New ‘Top Gun Maverick’ Movie: ‘Unapologetically Pro-America’