'Honor Among Thieves' Creators' New Movie Just Skyrocketed to #1 on Apple TV – Does It Deserve a Watch?

John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the minds behind Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, have decided to switch genres and venture into the icy realm of the Cold War with their new project.

Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, quickly became a top Apple TV hit. However, the movie ultimately proves to be a collection of cliches, stereotypes, and missed opportunities.

What Is 'Mayday' About?

It's 1987, the height of the Cold War. An American reconnaissance plane is shot down over Soviet territory and the pilot, Troy Kelly, miraculously survives and finds himself in the Taiga wilderness.

He's rescued by Nikolai Ustinov, a former KGB agent who has long dreamed of defecting to the US. The man is therefore willing to help Kelly. Following their trail is Soviet agent Alexander, for whom capturing the pilot becomes a matter of honor.

Kelly and Ustinov embark on a perilous journey through the snowy expanses of the USSR, constantly dodging bullets, falling through ice, and even stealing a missile tug carrying a nuclear weapon.

'Mayday' Uses Cliches Instead of Humor and Stereotypes Instead of Realism

The main problem with Mayday is that it never finds a comedic tone that justifies its existence. The creators were clearly inspired by old Hollywood action flicks like Red Heat, but they turn nostalgia into an endless parade of stereotypes.

Kenneth Branagh, who played Russian antagonists in Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Tenet, this time portrays a good-natured American fan whose taiga den is covered with posters of Western films and whose radio plays Bruce Springsteen.

Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds remains in his usual role as an ironic chatterbox with endless witticisms that quickly become tiresome. The creators attempt to invert the cliches of evil Russians and good Americans, but do so so clumsily that one stereotype is simply replaced by another.

'Mayday' Is Yet Another Faceless Streaming Product That Won't Give You Anything New

Despite the directors' efforts, Mayday remains a victim of the streaming standard: the movie is sterile and predictable, with every angle appearing mathematically calculated. It lacks the vibrant energy that even the subpar works of the 1980s had.

Even the well-choreographed fight scenes are overshadowed by Mayday's overall artificiality. The pacing suffers as the characters rush around the USSR without ever reaching a climax.

The ending is particularly disappointing – it should have provided emotional catharsis but instead leaves viewers feeling bewildered.

The only things keeping Mayday afloat are the charisma of Kenneth Branagh, who clearly relishes his role, and the high-quality soundtrack, which plays on nostalgic strings.

However, these positives cannot compensate for the overall feeling that this is an attempt to enter the territory of Top Gun and Mission: Impossible without a distinctive voice or style. Mayday deserves praise for its individual moments but leaves a slight sense of disappointment overall.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Mayday'?

• Mayday has 81% from critics and 67% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the movie has a score of 6.9/10.

• On Letterboxd, Mayday scored 3.2/5.0.