It never was.
It is an instigator of nostalgia, and it has been since its May 1986 release.
Actually, perhaps even before that, since the genesis of the movie was culled together from a reflective California Magazine article about pilots in San Diego. Aerial shots of fighter jets and plenty of second unit coverage started to shape what ultimately became the film visually, and with the participation of the US Navy, the movie Top Gun was almost instantly the most sure-fire commercial for the armed forces in cinema history.
As for pure derivative nostalgia in Top Gun, you can find it in both pre and post 1986 culture. Look at the dogfight scenes from 50 years prior in Hollywood's own Hell's Angels (1930). Fast forward seventeen years after Maverick "buzzed the tower," and you have real-life President George Bush's "Mission Accomplished" landing on an aircraft carrier near San Diego.
Viewing the movie nearly 27 years later, you can see the reason for its success and its impact on pop culture. At its most accessible, it's a crowd-pleasing action-drama that pretty much runs on autopilot. At its most introspective it's a homoerotic battle of male ego and status.
At the time, many a teenage boy found it to be the perfect date flick. The big military action film meets gushy romance. To quote my good friend Rachel, "there isn't a woman out there who doesn't get a little wet when they hear the first few notes of "Take My Breath Away."
Today, the blockbuster movie returns yet again to homes in a 3D Blu-ray, hot off a fairly successful IMAX limited release last week. I caught the release in IMAX last week, and although it should go without saying that the upconvert 3D is hardly necessary, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a fun experience. The remastered sound alone is worth it.
Here's a quick recap of the many ways in which audiences have put Top Gun in the Zeitgeist for over 25 years...
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