A dozen powerful war movies to watch this Memorial Day weekend

Plus, 'Top Gun: Maverick' hits theaters 36 years after the original
Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in "Top Gun."
Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in "Top Gun." Photo credit CBS via Getty Images

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember and honor the fallen heroes who sacrificed their lives for their country. It's the unofficial start of summer — if you go by Jersey Shore time. It's a time for grilled brats and veggie burgers. And, as befits any big holiday weekend, it is time for a big movie.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is that big movie — the highly anticipated sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise star-maker. Coming 36 years after the original, the movie revisits top Navy aviator Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise), sitting pretty as a respected test pilot and trainer, and desperately avoiding the promotion that would keep him out of the sky.

Maverick has forged a lifelong connection to his former rival Iceman (Val Kilmer). He has found true love in the arms of Penny Benjamin (Jennifer Connelly), the admiral's daughter. And he is forced to confront his past when he finds himself face to face with Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw (Miles Teller) — the son of the late Lt. Nick "Goose" Bradsaw.

With a cadre of flight school graduates, Maverick will find himself on a mission that demands a profound sacrifice of them all.

With that sacrifice in mind, we present a list of military-themed movies to binge for Memorial Day.

Top Gun (1986)

The best of the Navy's elite fighter pilots train to fly at the Top Gun Naval Fighter Weapons School. When reckless daredevil Pete Mitchell (Cruise), code name Maverick, is accepted into the program, he finds himself at odds with authority and the other pilots — especially the highly competitive yet calm Iceman (Kilmer). Maverick must suppress his wild side and prove his worth — to the Navy, and to the beautiful instructor, Charlotte Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), who has captured his attention.

A tribute to the real-life "Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor" program, "Top Gun" not only sold movie tickets (it grossed $357,288,178 worldwide), it also worked wonders for sales of bomber jackets and aviator shades. And with U.S. Navy recruiters stationed in cinema lobbies, legend has it enlistment jumped by about 500% in 1986.

"Top Gun" is streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime and Paramount+.

Black Hawk Down

"Black Hawk Down" follows the mission of a group of elite U.S. soldiers to Somalia in 1993. When their Back Hawk helicopter is shot down by Somalian forces, they struggle to regain control amid blazing gunfire. The film won two Oscars and received nominations for Best Director and Cinematography.

"Black Hawk Down" is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Glory

This powerful film boasts an impressive cast with Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, and Morgan Freeman. Based on the true story of Massachusetts 54th Regiment, it tells the story of the first all-African-American unit with soldiers who courageously fought in the Civil War.

"Glory" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Lone Survivor

Mark Wahlberg stars in film, based on a true story, of four Navy SEALS on a mission to neutralize a high-ranking al-Queda operative in Afghanistan who are ambushed by the Taliban.

"Lone Survivor" is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

American Sniper

Bradley Cooper stars in this tense Clint Eastwood-directed film about the life and experiences of U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle.

"American Sniper" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Saving Private Ryan

This quintessential World War II epic stars Tom Hanks as the caption of a squad searching for one of their paratroopers, Private First Class James Francis Ryan.

"Saving Private Ryan" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Apocalypse Now

An epic psychological war film helmed by legendary director, Francis Ford Coppola, it boasts an impressive cast including Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Harrison Ford, and Dennis Hopper. Plagued by a long and troubled shoot, it has eventually become, arguably, the definitive film on the Vietnam War.

"Apocalypse Now" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Flags of Our Fathers

Clint Eastwood's portrait of World War II peers into the lives of the six iconic soldiers who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima.

"Flags of our Fathers" is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Dunkirk

Directed by Christopher Nolan, this suspenseful depiction of the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II stars Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, and Harry Styles.

"Dunkirk" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Platoon

Based on his own experiences in the Vietnam War, "Platoon" is Oliver Stone's war epic about the tensions between U.S. soldiers in a platoon in Vietnam. The star-studded cast includes Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Kevin Dillon, John C. McGinley, Forest Whitaker, and Johnny Depp.

"Platoon" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

Pearl Harbor

Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale star in this romantic war drama about two friends and their love lives during World War II.

"Pearl Harbor" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

The Hurt Locker

Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie star in this film about a sergeant who finds himself at odds with the army bomb squad that he has been assigned to in the Iraq War.

"The Hurt Locker" is available to stream on Amazon Prime.

The Longest Day

This classic 1962 war film stars John Wayne, Kenneth More, Richard Todd, and Sean Connery in an extrapolation of the events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.

"The Longest Day" is available to rent on Amazon Prime.

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