Filmmaker reacts to Top Secret! (1984) for the FIRST TIME!

Hope you enjoy my filmmaker reaction to Top Secret!. :D
Full length reactions & Patreon only polls: / jamesvscinema
Original Movie: Top Secret! (1984)
Ending Song: / charleycoin
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Twitter: / jamesadamsiii
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED. All rights belong to their respective owners.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Eric Andre fans anyone? Want to vote on what I should watch next? Click here! www.patreon.com/jamesvscinema Watching Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) for the first time Friday! Enjoy the day!

[@Tommysimonsen]

13:03 that`s first time we see Alfred and Bruce Wayne together. About 10 years before Batman Forever.

[@BertonMelch]

I can’t wait for At Worlds End.

[@jculver1674]

You say you're an Eric Andre fan? Now why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?

[@XavierGallegos]

You like Val Kilmer? You must watch "Real Genius" Outstanding performance from Val.

[@JackXombi]

It's probably not popular enough to gain traction, but I'd flip if you reacted to Peter Jackson's horror classic Dead Alive. Unrated version only. "Goriest fright film ever made".

[@ClifHaley]

"It's like a dad joke that's really good," is honestly the best description I've ever heard of this movie ever.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Hahaha happy you agree!

[@davidoneal6157]

One of my favorite jokes in this I only got because I was taking a German class at the time. At one point in the German's office, the phone rings. The officer picks it up, listens, snarls in German and hangs up. Because of my class, I heard him snarl, "Ich liebe dich, meine schatz!" and burst out laughing. It translates to, "I love you, sweetheart!"

[@turnips4375]

pretty sure he actually says that line to the two torturers before they take Nick away.

[@Uncle_T]

The giant phone gag is absolutely brilliant, one of the best visual gags ever IMO. 😁

[@rebeccablackburn9487]

Forced perspective at its finest!!!😅

[@Albraudle]

My favourite bit of trivia for this film is that the mold of Peter Cushing's head used to make his weird eye for the library scene ended up being stored and was later used as a primary reference for the CG recreation of Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One.

[@minhuang8848]

Another bit of trivia: Peter Cushing was admitted to a hospital with a massively swollen eye two years or so before this movie released, a symptom of his prostate cancer. Arguably a very distinct reference.

[@rosenfield10]

The underwater bar fight scene is so impressive. And the library scene of course That backwards technique was later used by David Lynch in Twin Peaks to great effect. The scenes were plentiful, featured in the series pilot (international version), two episodes later, and in the final episode of season two. It was also used multiple times in season 3 as well as the feature film "Twin Peaks - Fire Walk With Me". In each scene, the actors had to learn their lines phonetically backwards as well as physically perform their movements backwards to achieve the desired effect. Amazing stuff.

[@Harv72b]

Weird Al Yankovic one upped them all in his music video for "Amish Paradise"!

[@JamesVSCinema]

Absolutely floored me! Love seeing magic on the screen.

[@Quirderph]

Lynch really took that a step further. (In this film, the actors were just reading their lines normally.)

[@BDTXIII]

But...how did they shoot the scene in under water?! That's insane!!

[@benglaser1345]

The Swedish Book Store was also a joke about how swedish sounds like english backwards, if you play the lines in reverse they're just english

[@richardrobbins8067]

If I'm not already dying laughing by the "he's just a little horse" joke The French Resistance introduction gets me every single time!!! Loved this movie for 30+ years, I believe it didn't do too good at the box office but damn it is now a classic spoof film all the way.

[@andy6576]

"This is Deja Vu" "Have we not met before, Monsieur?"

[@TheFairyintheFishBowl]

It’s my favourite. I prefer it to Airplane 👏🏻👏🏻

[@jculver1674]

The reason the Swedish Bookstore scene is backwards is because Swedish is often referred to as sounding like English backwards.

[@richard_n]

I saw this when it first came out and it really blew me away. The movie doesn't let up from start to finish and they used so many great movie tricks to pull off the humor. Plus Val Kilmer put in a great performance for a ridiculous comedy. He really showed his range in his film.

[@clovatrie]

"Who the heck was that and why?" It's the janitor. Who else would be in the janitor's closet? Just like the "prop room" was filled with airplane propellers.

[@jimtatro6550]

This movie doesn’t get as much love as Airplane or Naked Gun but I actually think it’s funnier than both. The ballet scene is worth the price of admission, a great debut from Val Kilmer.🤣👍

[@JamesVSCinema]

Absolutely agree!

[@1ListerofSmeg]

LOVE me some ❤💕💖 Top Secret! My FAVE work from Writer/directors ZAZ. Also: Enjoy THE best underwater saloon fight in the history of cinematography.

[@minhuang8848]

The lyrics to Skeet Surfin alone are completely bonkers, not sure if James was really noticing them - a huge reason for my watching everything with subs is understanding all the lyrics I tend to blend out - but man... talk about immediately selling me on this. So much amazing nonsense.

[@ThomasSoles]

Val Kilmer is an incredible actor. Diverse and full of depth. His comedy movies - Top Secret and Real Genius - are just as amazing as his dramatic roles. He had the kind of confidence we all wished we had. He had amazing comic timing. And he was a damned good looking dude. He is one of the few actors that has made infinitely replayable movies as a norm and not the outlier.

[@JamesVSCinema]

So happy people are loving him as much as I do hahaha!

[@mordicus420]

The Salton Sea is my favorite from him. Such a talented actor

[@ThomasSoles]

@@mordicus420 Love the Salton Sea. Great noir tragedy.

[@AbsoluteApril]

@@mordicus420 fantastic movie

[@bacteriajoe9403]

Real Genius is worth a watch Great 80s nostalgia.

[@dcamaraman939]

YOU MADE ME CRY !!! " That cow costume looks pretty real, that looks like an actual cow. Wait, did they just put boots on an actual cow??" I havnt laughed so hard in a while!!!

[@leptinainccm]

This movie is just so much *FUN*. I've been watching it for atleast 20 years and it's still amusing to this day. When I present this movie to my friends, it's always the funniest movie they ever seen. The gags just NEVER stop which is why I think this movie is so great. It's just plain simple fun. A good ol' slap stick movie.

[@Matt-vv7fl]

I love this film. It's non stop jokes. I also like Val Kilmer. My favorite movie he did was Real Genius. If you haven't seen that definitely check it out. It's a gem.

[@kvoltti]

It is the superior 80’s nerd movie.

[@TheArchangel911]

“Kent, This is God talking” 🤣

[@willbacewicz2087]

Watching how much James couldn't even deal with this classic is just the pick-me-up I needed after a shift in a kitchen on a hot-ass day. Thank you, sir.

[@merchillio]

I was glad to see your filmmaker reaction to this one. It’s so full of creativity and subversion of tropes.

[@JamesVSCinema]

Absolutely! Similar to Monty Python!

[@HermanVonPetri]

The sight gags in this film are absolutely top notch. And I love how mad it makes you. Great fun watching this with you.

[@muffinamy83]

Legendary Omar Sharif ("Doctor Zhivago") is in this. The first time I saw this I was like "No, that can't be Omar Sharif."

[@philfeb6]

Not only did Kurt sing in this movie , he also released an album using the name Nick Rivers for this movie

[@Thyrwyn]

“Real Genius” is my favorite Val Kilmer movie, made around the same time. “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” with Robert Downey Jr is also amazing. “Top Secret” is highly under appreciated.

[@walfiend2]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is an incredible film!

[@minhuang8848]

James has watched KKBB already, in case you were wondering. Great flick.

[@Exinjeru]

Zucker and Abrams movies like Top Secret and Airplane all follow a specific rule. There is never a joke going on with both the actors and in the background at the same time. If there is a joke going on the background the actors will always play the scene completely straight. You can see this in all of their productions.

[@tom222boy]

Kentucky Fried Movie....

[@Replicaate]

What a wild debut for Val Kilmer - lowkey wish he'd done more comedies like this (and also Real Genius), there's something about seeing a tall cute blond fella flailing all over the place with impeccable comedic timing yknow?

[@ericmahr9445]

This is a movie that I hold dear to my heart. My dad and I have a few movies that we watched and thoroughly enjoy. This is one. He passed so I get sentimental when these come up. Another was Big Trouble in Little China.

[@MfishProductions]

I remember this being my favorite comedy for years, as a kid I would even act out some of the scenes and dance numbers 😋

[@fiverx2159]

is your name Adam?? me and my best friend as kids did the same thing endlessly

[@Peg__]

We played this movie on repeat at parties! The physical comedy was a good icebreaker for convos.😂

[@hamiltonburger4574]

I loved this film when it first came out and still do! Then again, I'm a huge fan of absurd humor and this one is relentless. Great choice and I appreciate the fact that YOU can appreciate it as well. And yes, technically it's brilliant as well as the writing. Can you just imagine the round table conversations during the brainstorming process? That alone would be worth watching!

[@JamesVSCinema]

Hahaha must’ve been a fun gathering. This was a pleasant gem!

[@marcbloom7462]

The "Tutti Frutti" bit was based on something Elvis did during his time in the Army while stationed in Germany. Cedric was played by the late, great Omar Sharif, check him out in Dr Zhivago. Val Kilmer did all his own singing in the movie. This was his first movie. For a more serious movie with Val, but one that wont drive a lot of views, check out "The Spartan" for your self.

[@joebalusikiii5811]

The ZAZ machine is finely tuned for this movie. Kilmer's starring debut. A brilliant mashup of WWII & Elvis movies given the parody treatment only ZAZ could do. Glad you enjoyed!

[@maximillianosaben]

The little horse joke kills me every time.

[@maxhess3151]

You know a joke is good if you can see it coming from a mile away and it still makes you laugh.

[@krono5el]

I sometimes still just randomly yell out a "Latrine!!' for no reason, and obviously no one knows wtf im talking about : P

[@CoopyKat]

22:30 The Pinto car blowing up was a real issue at the time, they were being recalled because of faulty gas tanks that would explode on impact. The joke here though is that even a small 'ding' could cause that!

[@walfiend2]

After you reacted to Airplane, I really hoped you would react to Top Secret! This did not disappoint! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

[@pawned79]

Born in 1979, I grew up with Top Secret. It was one of the films I saw frequently as a kid. I didn’t understand all the adult humor; I just remember it being silly. I completely forgot the movie existed until college in the late 90s. I was so happy to find it held up! I will take a Top Secret or an Airplane over an Epic Movie style spoof any day!

[@scottbrown8604]

A bit of trivia... The face casting of Peter Cushing (the book seller) from this movie was used by the CGI team for Rogue One to create the CGI face of Grand Moff Tarkin in Rogue One.

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Years ago, I was watching some old black and white WWII movie on TCM, and halfway through it I sat up in shock because I realized I must be watching the movie that Top Secret is a spoof of. Same plot, some very very similar scenes and sets and dialogue, everything. I wish I could remember the name of the movie! Does anybody know? On another note, I low-key see vibes of Top Secret in Rogue One, too. Beautiful girl, her scientist father has been kidnapped by space nazis to build a top secret weapon, band of rag-tag resistance fighters help her out... Sad lack of musical numbers, though. And very little skeet surfing.

[@woodch]

"Relentless in its insanity." No truer words were ever spoken about this film. Glad you liked it!

[@willgold9989]

“Let me know if there is any change in his condition! He’s dead!”

[@smokeyverton7981]

Please consider THE GHOST AND THE DARKNESS (1997) starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Based on a true story about two killer lions. Thank you

[@notabritperse]

Once I saw this one, I started looking forward to your appreciation of the backwards bookstore and underwater saloon brawl. I wouldn't be surprised if each of those two scenes took longer to prep and shoot than any other 20 scenes combined.

[@HalifaxChicken2]

Have to put in a KZbin vote for REAL GENIUS, another Val Kilmer classic. So weird to see no one take this on yet.

[@rigger151]

One of my favorite movies of all time, and never gets a reaction. Everyone reacts to that poser Wired Science, but no love for the far superior nerd movie that year.

[@Hortonfantastic4]

I’d vote for it twice if I could. My favorite since I was 12.

[@JamesVSCinema]

I can put it up!!

[@timbuktu8069]

The problem with this movie is that it is so niche. You really have to know early 60s spy/cold war movies to get half the jokes and the beach blanket/Elvis movies to get the other half. Add to that some period jokes (like the Pinto blowing up). Granted if you do it's hilarious but I've seen too many blank stares from people watching it for the first time.

[@randalthor741]

I've loved this movie since I was a kid. IMO the puns and jokes in Top Secret generally aren't as good as the ones in Airplane, but the visual gags are generally better. Either way, they're both absolutely hilarious...

[@TheArchangel911]

This movie introduced me to Val Kilmer. Still one of my favorite actors, I owed the VHS tape and played it til the tape wore out as a kid.

[@lunacouer]

11:37 He started speaking Pig Latin. It's a super-sekret language (/s), where you take the first consonant (s), put it at the end of the word, then add "ay" to it. So "Pig Latin" is "Igpay Atinlay". The priest said "Ooreyay oingay ootay etgay iedfray in the airchay", meaning "You're Going To Get Fried in the Chair". 😂

[@yvonnesanders4308]

I understand but my brain doesn't run that fast

[@patrickmassonne1919]

Omar Sharif: Best Supporting Actor Nom. Larwence of Arabia. Best Supporting Actor- Doctor Zhivago. Turned into a car- Top Secret. The Man is a Legend.

[@SLYFOXX32]

This is one of my all time favorite comedy movies. I saw this in the 80s. It was hilarious then and even more funny now. It was entertaining to watch you react to the relentless nature of the jokes. That backwards library scene and the fight scene underwater are still to this day 2 of the best scenes ever filmed.in movie history. The technicalities within those scenes is mindblowing. Awesome review

[@gerardcote8391]

The Zucker Brothers made this film. And wanted Omar Shariff to be in it, but they thought he wouldn't do a low budget film. They were surprised when he agreed. Also the car crush scene was a cut from the James Bond film Goldfinger.

[@nluna75]

James......Real Genius. No other words are needed.

[@whatareyoulookingat908]

Growing up with this movie..the singing horse ALWAYS got me!! : ) But seeing your reaction with the bull/cow made me LOL for a minute.

[@weepingscorpion8739]

"He's just a little ho(a)rse." has me in stitches every time! :D

[@yvonnesanders4308]

Impressed the patreon went for this. Good taste. Such good gags in this film. The magnifying glass creased me when I first saw it

[@DanielS2001]

If you want another film with Val Kilmer you might enjoy, I recommend Real Genius. Also, a fun bit of trivia that actually connects this film with Rogue One A Star Wars Story: Peter Cushing, who played Moff Tarkin in A New Hope plays the bookstore owner. For Rogue One, when ILM were trying to recreate Cushing's likeness for the digital rendering of Tarkin for the film, they actually found the plaster cast made of Cushing that the makeup effects department for this film used to create the prosthetic eye he wore. ILM scanned it to create the model. So, thanks to this film and the makeup effects department for this film, ILM was able to digitally resurrect Tarkin for Rogue One.

[@neojc128]

10:36 that was the janitor, in his janitor closet

[@AceCorban]

I remember watching something where someone was discussing how to make a good comedy work, and a solid pace is something like 3-5 jokes per minute as a good baseline. This is one of those where you lose count because so much is always happening in the dialog and the background. The Val documentary is really good, and you'd probably love it even more being more into film making. He's a really interesting dude, and seems to have a genuinely good heart.

[@rrmenton8016]

3-5 jokes per minute sounds like a lot! Is it maybe supposed to be 1 joke for every 3 to 5 minutes?

[@AceCorban]

@@rrmenton8016 I don't know if there is an established/agreed upon rate, but certainly want people laughing more than once every few minutes. A "joke" doesn't necessarily have to be an elaborate joke either. Just something funny in the background or a quip or something.

[@Shawn-id7gc]

Saw the thumbnail for Top Secret. Immediate thumbs up. Rushing home to see the reaction.

[@traviszander]

Fun Fact: Peter Cushing (Librarian / Grand Wilhuff Tarkin from Star Wars) had an on going bit with him holding up glass to his eye in multiple movies. It's pretty funny.

[@mariuslackenbucher6696]

I just love comedies like this and airplane or the naked gun. it's a real shame that we haven't got comedies like these - they were just fun and original and just a joy to behold

[@Lynn705Hal]

I remember seeing this in theaters. Fun movie. Great reaction as always. Thx.

[@TheTaelus]

First time Val Kilmer and Michael Gough acted together!! Eventually reunited in Batman Forever!

[@אביזרמין-נ6ד]

From the creators of: Airplane, Scary Movie, The Naked Gun, Hot Shots. And many more funny movies. This is one of my favorite!!!

[@AndyHoke]

There are a lot of gags in this movie that you won't find anywhere else, so they all land. LIke the cows walking through the binocular view scene. Thanks James!!

[@delwynklassen3644]

Such a great reaction to a hilarious film. Some of those jokes stuck around in my brain for years. Have you seen Kilmer in Thunderheart? Totally slept on by reviewers. Some very dry humour there in a very serious plot. As good as Val is, Graham Greene just steals every scene he is in (in every movie he is in, so not throwing shade at all).

[@Jason_Van_Stone]

This was the absolute worse reaction I've seen to this movie.

[@cappinjocj9316]

Haven’t seen this one. Looks good so I’m going to check it out. Cheers James, always good to find out about a new film.

[@smokeyverton7981]

Oh, and REAL GENIUS (1985) with Val Kilmer

[@HaloseBetaM14]

For some time in the 90s in Hungary it played annually on TV. I watched it dubbed every time I caught it and in English a couple of times since then. This is comedic gold.

[@AbsoluteApril]

love this movie, so silly and over the top, thank you so much for watching it! I haven't seen anyone else react to it yet. I hope you check out Evolution (David Duchovny, Orlando Jones), Be Kind Rewind (Jack Black, Mos Def) and A Knights Tale (Heath Ledger) all fun comedies. have a great day James

[@rrenaee]

This movie is such a staple in my family. I love that you watched it and had just as much fun!

[@Caglecardscollectibles21]

Such an underrated gem! Classic comedy, Im glad you enjoyed!

[@L1VE3V1L]

The underwater scene and backwards scene are still among the most clever I’ve seen. Ever.

[@ZombiePlague]

My favorite comedy and one of my favorite movie of all time. I could watch this over and over

[@Phoenix-ug1ru]

im so glad you watched this and can help bring it to others, props to whoever recommended it to you. i was literally just thinking of this and other old movies the other day, thinking how its a shame how most of the reactions are of newer movies, but some old movies are really frickin good. myself im pretty glad to have grown up watching so many old movies just bought cheap and watched, even tho there's plenty of bad too, but again there's some really great stuff like this back there!

[@krispurdy78]

Have seen other reactions to this, but never actually seen the film in full. Congrats! You just got Amazon a bluray sale and helped expand my collection! 🤣

[@ThePetriax]

Omar Sharif, is the actor who plays the spy at the beginning of the film. He has an Oscar, which makes it even funnier that he's the butt of so many 'low brow' jokes.

[@prinnydood704]

One of my favorite ZAZ films. Some very clever and memorable visual gags throughout.

[@cayminlast]

Another amazing 'off the wall' movie from the 80's, enjoyed this at the movie theater back in the day, so many references and funny spoofs, thanks James.

[@rustybarrel516]

15:02 Loved that moment when you realized the whole scene was filmed in reverse.

[@Hortonfantastic4]

Now you need to see Real Genius. IMO it’s the best of this era’s joke movies because it’s about smart people doing nerdy things.

[@mikkosimonen]

"Who the heck was that?" The door clearly said "Janitor."

[@rrmenton8016]

All that time in public school, never realized the "janitor closet" was for keeping spare janitors 😆

[@brianvernon249]

My mother had to explain to me the pinto bumper joke as I was too young when that fiasco happened. I love how the scarecrow gets last billing in the credits.

[@SC457A]

I always loved this style of movie. So silly.

[@joshmackaben4537]

Thanks James, I've been pushing for this movie from a handful of my favorites o. KZbin, and you're the first to react to it. Keep up the good work. Peace and Health to All! ✌️😷🤟

[@cchavezjr7]

I don't think I've ever seen a comedy with that many gags and jokes consistently and they all hit perfectly and don't affect the flow of the movie.

[@hidalgofritz5538]

This was a great movie that I haven't seen in so long. The backwards scene still sticks in my mind to this day.

[@AdamFishkin]

Oh yes yes yes, I was so excited for you to see this one! You were correct. Skeet surfing is not a real sport. Apparently, Paramount never had problems with the Zucker bros. getting their films down to a decent length, because the Zuckers would take test screenings very seriously. Whenever a joke didn't get a laugh, THAT JOKE WAS GONE. NEVER TO RETURN. The cows going through the binoculars is the shot that impresses me the most, because if they did that effect in-camera, it is beyond seamless. It is witchcraft.

[@stephenkoehler4051]

My favorite joke in the movie is Chocolate Moouse. He's played by a British actor named Eddie Tagoe. He played a Pirate in Raiders of the Lost Ark. He's wearing the SAME costume he wore in Raiders! When I noticed that I busted a gut!

[@kengascoigne5946]

15:05 That's Peter Cushing aka Grand Moff Tarkin...

[@nobodyyouknow6998]

I'm surprised you haven't watched The Saint starring Val. Idk how others view it or how critics view it but I personally really enjoy that movie.

[@nobodyyouknow6998]

@@Muck006 oh I see. I've never seen the series so I suppose that is part of why I can enjoy it like I do.

[@Mangolite]

I missed these old classic comedies. Where Airplane parodies other films, Top Secret seemed to be an original work. I love the opening shotgun surfer boys, the reverse sequence, and the underwater fights.

[@dasc0yne]

It's amazing (and funny in a meta way) they would stage such difficult sequences (like the backwards scene and the underwater fight) for a joke that isn't that big or that few people would even understand. For example, in Hollywood they used to say the Swedish language just sounded like backwards English. So that is why, when they went to see the Swedish bookkeeper, it was filmed in reverse. That was the joke.

[@TheCherrykye]

What a classic!!! Great choice, we used to have it recorded on VHS when I was little. Another classic that not many know about is national lampoon's loaded weapon, so stinkin funny.

[@IACJLD]

Favorite comedy hands down and favorite gag is when Nick scares the bikes away. RLM has a great Re:View for this movie.

[@annebokma4637]

One of my all time favorites. But he died with a smile on his face 😂😂

[@andrewmccormack4295]

This is a movie you should watch and not overthink it,just see it for what it is,a tremendously funny film.I love it and every time I see it again I seem to see something funny I missed last time.

[@plainmarienc]

I love that almost the entire reaction is you laughing. That's about the size of it. 😂 One long dad joke that doesn't let up.

[@DjKorppi]

One of my all-time favorites

[@bafumat]

Instant like. This shits about to be nuts. We loved this when it came out.

[@johncampbell756]

This is one of my favorite movies. Val's debut. By the makers of Airplane! I love that if you try to explain the plot, you sound insane.

[@evaserration6223]

You might say it sounds like a bad movie... *looks at the screen

[@johncampbell756]

@@evaserration6223 I often use his quote when asked about my favorite movie quite. Unfortunately I always have to look it up as it is so long.

[@kurtbeck3400]

I must have watched this movie 20 times with my friend back in junior high. The little German and diq ballet jokes had us rolling every single time lol.

[@Will-nn6ux]

There was a door that said 'Janitor'. Behind it was a janitor. There was a door that said 'Props room'. The room contained propellers of different types.