If you want better score quality
Choose Crime 101. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for score quality, with a 4.0 overall score.
Mayday Movie Review
Bottom Line
Choose Mayday if you want a fast, funny buddy action-comedy with standout Kenneth Branagh, strong chemistry, and inventive set pieces. Skip it if Ryan Reynolds’ familiar wisecracking, predictable plotting, or mature violence are deal-breakers.
Best for
Best for viewers who enjoy old-school buddy action-comedies, inventive fight and chase staging, and character chemistry strong enough to carry a familiar plot.
Not for
Less suited to viewers tired of Ryan Reynolds’ sarcastic screen persona, those seeking deep Cold War politics or major originality, and families avoiding strong violence or profanity.
Verdict
Mayday succeeds most when it leans into the unlikely partnership between Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. Reviewers repeatedly praise Branagh’s funny, warm, unexpectedly physical performance, the pair’s chemistry, and action staging that feels unusually cinematic for a streaming release. Fluid camerawork, well-choreographed fights, brisk momentum, and a Springsteen-heavy ’80s soundtrack give the familiar buddy-movie structure plenty of energy. The tradeoff is familiarity: several critics find the plot predictable, supporting characters underused, and Reynolds too close to his standard sarcastic persona. A few also object to uneven CGI, tonal silliness, or a simplified political message. Still, the dominant view is that the film’s heart, humor, and set pieces outweigh those limitations, making it a lively throwback rather than a genre reinvention.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
48 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.015 (31%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.417 (35%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.411 (23%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.45 (10%)
Pros
-
Reynolds and Branagh’s odd-couple chemistry is repeatedly called the heart of the film, carrying the comedy, emotional beats, and long stretches of the story.
-
The action is one of the clearest consensus wins, with fluid fights, inventive chases, strong aerial work, and several set pieces ranked among the year’s best.
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The camerawork is widely praised as fluid, inventive, and unusually cinematic for streaming, especially in fights, aerial scenes, long takes, and moving POV shots.
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As a throwback buddy action-comedy, the film strongly satisfies its target audience with banter, chases, fights, heart, and nostalgic genre energy.
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Most reviewers find Mayday highly entertaining, funny, and easy to enjoy, with only a small minority calling it forgettable or disappointing.
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Performances are a major strength, especially Branagh’s comic-action turn. Reynolds earns praise when restrained, though several critics find his familiar persona limiting.
Cons
-
Rewatch interest is split: some see an easy repeat-watch comfort movie, while others expect to forget it quickly or never revisit it.
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The film contains abundant fights, gunfire, injuries, and bloody action; family-focused reviewers see that level as a meaningful drawback for younger or sensitive viewers.
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Profanity and coarse language are flagged as meaningful content concerns, particularly for families and sensitive viewers.
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The buddy-road-movie structure is repeatedly described as familiar, predictable, and derivative even when reviewers enjoy how individual scenes are executed.
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The movie’s bloody violence, coarse language, and mature material make it better suited to teens and adults than younger children.
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The buddy-adventure tone is accessible, but violence, profanity, and mature content lead family-focused reviewers to advise against it for kids or sensitive viewers.
Cast & Creators
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Nikolai UstinovBranagh is the near-unanimous standout, earning praise for deadpan comedy, unexpected action credibility, warmth, and the emotional depth he gives Nikolai.
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DirectorDaley is widely praised with Goldstein for confident action-comedy direction, inventive camera work, and strong pacing, though one dissenting review finds the storytelling undercooked.
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DirectorGoldstein is widely praised with Daley for confident action-comedy direction, inventive camera work, and strong pacing, though one dissenting review finds the storytelling undercooked.
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Troy KellyReynolds divides reviewers: his charm and restrained straight-man work often fit the movie well, while critics tired of his familiar sarcastic persona see it as the film’s biggest limitation.
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CinematographerPeterson’s cinematography is repeatedly praised for fluid motion, cinematic scale, and action images that keep the film visually propulsive.
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Alexander VolkovDorociński is generally praised for making Volkov a credible, intense threat without leaning too hard into a cartoonish Soviet villain, though one review finds him merely serviceable.
View all 48 feature scores and cast & creators
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Movies, this product is above average in sexual content level, pacing, action sequences, near average in emotional impact, lead performance, below average in score quality, rewatch value, world-building.
Comparison summary
48 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher26 (54%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts13 (27%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower9 (19%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| sexual content level | 5.0 | 2.7 | +2.3 |
| score quality | 2.0 | 4.2 | -2.2 |
| pacing | 4.6 | 2.9 | +1.7 |
| action sequences | 4.7 | 3.6 | +1.1 |
| ending satisfaction | 4.5 | 3.3 | +1.2 |
| genre satisfaction | 4.6 | 3.9 | +0.7 |
| editing quality | 4.5 | 3.3 | +1.2 |
| rewatch value | 2.5 | 3.5 | -1.0 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better age appropriateness
Choose Project Hail Mary. It scores 4.8 vs 2.0 for age appropriateness, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better rewatch value
Choose The Furious. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for rewatch value, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better genre satisfaction
Choose Coyote vs. Acme. It scores 5.0 vs 4.6 for genre satisfaction, with a 3.9 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Atomic Blonde
- Similar: action caliber The reviewer compares Mayday’s action caliber favorably to Atomic Blonde.
John Wick
- Similar: action caliber The reviewer compares Mayday’s action caliber favorably to John Wick.
Lethal Weapon
- Similar: overall action-comedy concept The reviewer describes Mayday as a hybrid of Top Gun and Lethal Weapon.
FAQ
Is Mayday mostly an action movie or a comedy?
It is both, but reviewers generally see action as the stronger half. The comedy comes from the Reynolds-Branagh odd-couple dynamic, while fights, chases, and aerial set pieces provide much of the momentum.
How is Kenneth Branagh in Mayday?
He is the clearest consensus standout. Reviewers praise his deadpan humor, warmth, surprising action credibility, and ability to give Nikolai more depth than the premise initially suggests.
Does Ryan Reynolds play his usual type of character?
Mostly yes. Some reviewers enjoy a more restrained version of his familiar wisecracking persona, while others consider that same shtick the movie’s biggest weakness.
Are the action scenes good?
Yes. The fights, aerial sequences, train action, and vehicle chases are repeatedly praised for choreography, fluid camera movement, and inventive staging.
Is the Cold War message deep?
The film’s empathy-first message about propaganda, patriotism, and seeing people beyond national stereotypes is often praised, but several critics find it simple or surface-level rather than deeply political.
Is Mayday appropriate for kids?
Family-focused reviews warn about bloody action, gunfire, stabbings, profanity, and other mature material. The content is better suited to older viewers than young children or sensitive audiences.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Troy Cervantes
- Review score
- 4.5
Article Reviews
geekvibesnation.com
Ryan Reynolds brings the laughs in Mayday, but Kenneth Branagh steals the show in this fast-paced ’80s action-comedy.
- Review score
- 4.8
thecosmiccircus.com
Tucker reviews Apple TV's Mayday, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. Directed & written by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein.
- Review score
- 4.6
thereviewgeek.com
Delightfully silly and surprisingly heartwarming From classics like Rush Hour to more recent ventures like Deadpool and Wolverine, the buddy...
- Review score
- 4.7
theactionelite.com
Plot: Lieutenant Troy Brennan’s reconnaissance mission over Soviet territory goes awry, forcing him to crash-land and survive in Russian...
- Review score
- 2.7
filmreviewdaily.com
A theatrical knight and a comic Canadian team up for a stylish, eminently diverting action-comedy packed with surprises.
- Review score
- 4.9
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