With the latest installment of the “Top Gun” film franchise as its foundation, Impulse is flying a familiar path in the corps’ 2023 production, “Maverick.”
“We wanted to find a concept that we thought would connect with people wherever they are on the age spectrum,” Impulse corps director Peter Connell said. “We wanted something popular that people had some point of reference to, but also some modern and cinematic elements.”
Released in May 2022, “Top Gun: Maverick” is the second installment of the “Top Gun” series. Tom Cruise returns as the titular protagonist, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a captain in the United States Navy 30 years after graduating from Top Gun, the Navy program that teaches air combat tactics and techniques.
Impulse’s 2023 production isn’t a direct retelling of the 2022 release, but rather an exploration of Maverick’s character development throughout the movie. Viewers of the film know how bold and brash Maverick is, but Connell wanted to make sure the production also captured the heart of Maverick’s character.
“Some of the things in the second movie I really wanted to capture was how he longed to build together a team, the heart of him and also the inner conflict he had,” Connell said.
From the beginning, Impulse members were excited about taking a story from the big screen to the football field. In January, Impulse staff revealed the show theme using various clips of the movie. There were some members who hadn’t seen the movie, but soon enough, the corps was prepared to take this story to a new horizon.
From the bomber jacket Impulse drum major Neo Guillory wears in the show to the use of music from the movie, the corps wants audiences to see the staple imagery associated with the “Top Gun” franchise. The story Impulse puts on the field also mirrors the plot of the second installment.
Similar to the start of “Top Gun: Maverick,” Impulse embraces the idea of a fresh start as the corps spends much of its first and second movement learning how to work together. The corps’ ballad movement explores how tense triumphing over a conflict can be.
As the show nears its end, the corps utilizes “The Man, The Legend” by Lorne Balfe, Lady Gaga and Hans Zimmer as the backbone for a victorious final movement.
Breathing new life into a popular movie franchise has been a fun yet daunting task. It can be tricky expanding on a familiar concept, because the original story needs to be represented properly.
However, for Guillory, it’s been an enjoyable experience creating a refreshing spin on this story for drum corps audiences.
“It’s pretty nice because people know what you’re going for,” Guillory said about this year’s show concept. “They have an idea of what is there and you can build off of that super easily.”
View Impulse's 2023 DCI Tour Schedule