Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, is a stupidly fun movie worth your time. If you are a child of the ’80s, this movie is for you, if nothing else, because of all the great pop culture references. But when it comes to really fun action-comedy movies made simply to entertain us, this movie fits the bill. It’s not going to win awards, and you may only watch it once, but I promise you will be entertained. Honestly, this is a movie made by nerds who loved ridiculous ’80s action movies and pop culture references, and that’s a good thing. So many times, as a film critic, we watch films where we take a deep dive into the brilliance of storytelling, the way it was shot, the use of metaphors, and how certain films are the epitome of great filmmaking. Of course, I like those kinds of films where I can talk for hours about why a certain movie is great, like Citizen Kane, but then some movies are just fun, and that’s all they need to be. Mayday for me is one of those kinds of films. It isn’t anything special. It had good action, it made me laugh, and it had a killer 80s soundtrack- everything needed to make a fun movie.
Ryan Reynolds stars as a Navy pilot on a top-secret mission flying the SR-71 Blackbird when he’s shot down in Russia, only to be rescued by what appears to be an old man living by himself in the woods, but who turns out to be a former KGB agent played by Kenneth Branagh. He seeks asylum in America because he loves the culture and wants a better life for himself and his daughter, so he agrees to help the pilot get to his embassy, and that’s where the adventure starts. They’re being chased by other KGB agents, are always running into trouble, and have to find a way to escape Russia. It’s a great premise for a fun movie. But what makes this movie worth watching is not only Ryan Reynolds doing what he always does by entertaining the audience with his wisecracking humor, but we also get a lot of John Wick action. There are only a few moments where the movie slows down and gives us some nice emotional scenes compared to the main characters facing constant trouble and nearly getting killed, but how it ends is really fun. I never really saw these two actors doing a movie together, but it works, and there’s a lot of great on-screen chemistry. Between the action and the humor, you will be entertained, and if you’re looking for a good date movie, something to watch on a Friday night, then this is a good one. It may not be worth the price of a movie ticket, but it’s a good one for a streaming service.
However, what makes the movie less than stellar is the regurgitation of old action movie tropes and a predictable storyline. It’s not hard to figure out what’s going to happen, but for the audience, we’re along for the ride, which is the funnest part of the film. The movie feels like other movies that we’ve seen before, especially Ryan Reynolds in The Hitman’s Bodyguard movies, but despite the film not bringing anything new to this genre, it still manages to entertain, especially with the 80s pop culture references. The film also serves as a nice reminder of what it was like nearly 40 years ago during the Cold War. But as I said, sometimes all we need is just a fun movie that may feel similar to other fun movies…I mean, that’s pretty much every ’80s action movie…Am I right? Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh do a good enough job with their performances that will make you keep watching the film until the end. This is definitely a movie made for middle-aged people who grew up in the ’80s, or even parents from the 80s.
It may be lost on a younger audience, but John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, who wrote and directed this movie, know who they’re writing for, and for that very reason that’s why it will appeal to the children and the parents of the 80’s. I’m not going to complain about the overuse of action movie tropes or Ryan Reynolds essentially playing the same character he always does in action-comedy movies…that’s just minor nitpicking because if you can enjoy a good action movie and it makes you laugh, then it does its job of entertaining you. That’s what Mayday did for me and why I would watch it again. For a free movie on a streaming service, it’s worth the 2 hours, and the creators know what kind of movie this is for their audience. For that reason, I can say it is Nerd approved.
