In 1986, one of the most iconic movies of our generation hooked me. Bad.

I thought Top Gun was over-the-top exciting, and fun. But it just so happened that it was incredibly reminiscent of my wonderful early years. I knew those guys.

No, I did not know Tom Cruise or Val Kilmer or Anthony Edwards, the actors who played the starring roles. But I knew who they were playing: the Navy’s jet jockeys who partied, misbehaved and populated all the fun hangouts in San Diego, the film’s location.

My late husband was a Navy pilot based at North Island Naval Air Station on Coronado, directly across the bay from downtown San Diego. Many readers know that I was a stewardess for a dozen years. Our romance began at one of those rollicking pilots’ parties – an evening to remember. Three years later, we merged our two sets of wings. No surprise that our aviation genes eventually produced a Marine pilot.

Our son fell in love with the airplane scene early. On a history vacation that included Annapolis, our boy made up his mind that he was going to the Naval Academy. He was eight. Seeing Top Gun at age eleven, determined what he would do after graduation. That film proved to be a huge recruitment tool for naval aviation in the late 80s.

I certainly understood why. The movie showcased the good-looking, all-American pilots strutting their stuff. I’ve never known a group – anywhere – that dominated a social scene like the lieutenants of Coronado did. Or had as much fun. And Top Gun captured it – from the swagger to the camaraderie. It was fascinating for me to watch in real life, and astounding to see it portrayed onscreen.

So, you can imagine that I was not going to miss the new Top Gun: Maverick movie.

I visited my daughter and family in late May. They had purchased tickets online for the new Top Gun’s opening night, May 27. I was leaving May 23. Devastated, I was tempted to stay. To make matters worse, they were going to see it at an Imax theater. My “local” Imax is in Williamsville, New York – 101 miles away.

Arriving home, I wanted to see the movie ASAP, as did Dear Richard. By the time we got our schedules coordinated, the flick had left Warren. I checked Jamestown and sure enough, it was still there. Whew!

I decided to be super savvy and order our tickets on line, merely as a time saver. Big mistake.

The Jamestown showing was at the Lakewood Cinema, not the Chautauqua Mall. So, I simply Googled: Lakewood Cinema Top Gun, and it took me right to the website. When I first checked, I thought the afternoon showtime was 3:15 p.m. The Lakewood site now showed 3 p.m. and I brilliantly tossed that aside, assuming that either I misremembered or they had changed it.

I selected the seats, paid with PayPal, and printed both my receipt and the QR code that I knew would be scanned at the theater. My daughter actually does all this with her cellphone, but I was still smugly pleased with myself.

I presented the printout when we got to the theater. I noticed they scanned it a few times and kept turning the page for a different angle. It didn’t scan. “This isn’t for our theater,” the attendant said. I was gob-smacked. The film was about to start.

We looked at it closer, and it said Lakewood AMC Cinema in the Lakewood Mall. I hadn’t thought of the Lakewood Cinema as a mall. But oops, it is also not an AMC theater.

Oh boy. No one knew anything about a local AMC theater, because of course, there isn’t one. We left to figure it out. We finally realized I had bought tickets to Top Gun;Maverick playing at the Lakewood Cinema in Lakewood, Washington, near Tacoma. I somehow knew we weren’t going to make it, even with the 3-hour time difference.

After shopping and eating, we returned for the 6 p.m. show. And it was worth it.

I actually think this sequel was more exciting than the original. My son-in-law has one of those do-everything Apple watches. While he was watching Maverick, his watch vibrated, alerting that his heart rate was significantly elevated, although he was sitting still. As we left, I understood why. I was exhausted, the adrenaline rush had reached from my toes to my scalp.

“The guys” in the new movie are good, but not like the original. At age 60, Tom Cruise still has “It.” I am sure his plastic surgeon is on retainer, and is the best in the world. But you can’t fake those abs in the beach volleyball scene. And that maddening, goofy grin of his? The same.

San Diego, Tom Cruise, death-defying flying, adventuresome plot – all on a summer’s day. Be still my heart…if it’s possible.

Marcy O’Brien can be reached at Moby.32@hotmail.com