Mayday Feature Scores
Explore all 48 feature scores for Mayday, organized into pros and cons.
Scores by Feature
Summary
48 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.015 (31%)
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Positive 3.5-4.417 (35%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.411 (23%)
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Negative 1.5-2.45 (10%)
Pros
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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.
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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.
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Goldstein and Daley are widely praised for energetic, confident staging and smart tonal control, though one dissenting review sees the storytelling as undercooked.
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Most reviews praise the brisk momentum and constant forward motion, though a few find the opening awkward or the overall film somewhat too long.
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The humanist message about propaganda, patriotism, and seeing people beyond national stereotypes is often praised, though some critics consider it simplistic or obvious.
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Branagh is the consistent standout and often scene-stealer. Reynolds is more divisive, praised when subdued but criticized when he falls back on his usual wisecracking persona.
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The comedy usually lands through Branagh’s deadpan work, visual gags, and lead banter, but Reynolds fatigue and some broad third-act silliness divide reviewers.
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Reviewers admire the cinematic scale, kinetic camera placement, and distinctive action imagery, although some dislike the overly clean digital sheen.
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The Springsteen-heavy ’80s soundtrack is repeatedly praised for fitting the story, period setting, and themes without feeling like empty nostalgia.
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Many reviewers are surprised by the film’s warmth, friendship, and family material, although a few find the sentimentality underdeveloped or unearned.
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The film earns praise for humanizing Soviet citizens and complicating simple U.S.-versus-Russia binaries, though some critics still find parts of its cultural framing simplified.
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Reviewers see strong appeal for fans of buddy comedies, throwback action, and Ryan Reynolds’ style, with several calling it a potential theatrical crowd-pleaser.
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Supporting actors are generally liked, especially Bakalova and Dorociński, but several reviews complain that Bakalova, Morse, and their subplots are underused.
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Nikolai and Troy get meaningful growth and a believable friendship, but some critics find Troy or the supporting family arcs thin, rushed, or underdeveloped.
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High production values and period atmosphere impress many reviewers, though one critic finds the sets too pristine and artificial to feel believable.
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Practical stunt work and hand-to-hand sequences are praised for adding physicality, clarity, and old-school action appeal.
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Action editing is praised for seamlessly blending performers, stunt doubles, and set-piece momentum without losing clarity.
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The pursuit structure creates credible tension and an enjoyable cat-and-mouse momentum, especially as the heroes race toward asylum and safety.
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The central escape-and-friendship story is engaging for most reviewers, but detractors find it basic, thin, or unable to capitalize fully on its strong premise.
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Effects are generally considered polished and impressive, though a few conspicuous CGI moments undermine the illusion.
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Most reviewers think comedy, action, and emotion are blended smoothly, while detractors point to abrupt transitions, an identity crisis, or over-the-top third-act silliness.
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One content-focused review approves of the complete absence of sex or nudity.
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The political and humanist ideas add welcome substance, but reviewers disagree on whether they feel thoughtful and resonant or merely surface-level.
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The more serious moments are praised for subtlety, giving the action-comedy enough dramatic weight without overwhelming its lighter tone.
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The ending receives praise for landing on a gracious thematic note about service and recognition rather than just spectacle.
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The central banter is often praised as funny and lively, but one strongly negative review finds the dialogue forgettable.
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One review specifically praises Reynolds’ crisp Navy look, helping sell the Top Gun-style pilot persona.
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The broad critical response is described as positive, and the reviewer citing the aggregate agrees that critics largely got the favorable verdict right.
Cons
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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.
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The original score makes little impression in the one review that addresses it, which remembers the licensed songs but not the score.
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The Cold War setting can feel convincing through locations and period detail, but one harsh review says the world never feels believable as 1980s Soviet Russia.
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Period authenticity is mixed: some reviewers feel the setting convincingly evokes 1987, while others say the dialogue, visuals, or atmosphere never fully feel like the era.
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One reviewer finds the plot increasingly confusing and frustrating when its logic is examined closely, despite the otherwise straightforward escape setup.
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Digital effects draw mixed reactions: most shots are convincing or good enough, but a few green-screen and cartoonish moments noticeably break immersion.
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The nearly two-hour length works for some because of strong momentum, but several reviewers think the movie drags or would be better closer to 90 minutes.
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As part of an existing streaming subscription, the movie is often seen as worthwhile entertainment, though one critic says it is not worth subscribing solely to watch.
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The movie rarely reinvents its genre, but several reviewers think inventive staging, camera work, and thematic reframing give familiar material fresh energy.
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Aerial work and some locations look highly convincing, but realism is inconsistent; one reviewer rejects the period world and character behavior as fundamentally unbelievable.
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The screenplay earns praise for smart genre writing and balanced character beats, but detractors call it safe, by-the-numbers, or even half-baked.
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.
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Anna UstinovBakalova is consistently liked in her limited screen time and brings strength or poignancy to Anna, but several reviewers argue the role is underused.
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HaroldMorse is liked in his small role as Troy’s father, but reviewers repeatedly wish the character had more to do and one calls him completely sidelined.