Mayday review and release date
If you’ve been waiting a long time for an entertaining new movie, you should check out our “Mayday” review and release date information, because the movie officially premieres on Apple TV on September 4, 2026. This movie is a buddy comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. It’s not just another boring throwback to the 1980s. Instead, it’s a truly creative and funny adventure that stands entirely on its own.
There’s been a lot of nostalgia surrounding the ’80s lately. Movies like The End of Oak Street are still playing in theaters. Many people love these movies because they remind us of a time when it was easy to tell “the good guys” from “the bad guys.” It feels simple. And sometimes we just want to escape the real world for a few hours.
“Mayday”, however, is a bit different. Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have made a movie that’s more reminiscent of the classic “Midnight Run” than a typical action movie. They love the ’80s, but they also handle it cleverly. They use the past to teach us something new, rather than simply copying it.
MAYDAY REVIEW: ENTERTAINING, CREATIVE BUDDY COMEDY IS MORE THAN JUST BLIND 1980s NOSTALGIA
The movie isn’t perfect. It’s hard to get everything right on the first try. But it’s a ton of fun. If you enjoyed “Game Night” or “Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves”, you’ll find the same energy here. Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh are an unusual duo, but they work together brilliantly. You’ll definitely want to tell your friends about some of the funny scenes.
KENNETH BRANAGH’S RUSSIAN ECCENTRIC IS MAYDAY’S SECRET WEAPON
The story begins in 1987. Ronald Reagan is president, and the Cold War is drawing to a close. Ryan Reynolds plays Troy “Assassin” Kelly. He’s a U.S. Navy pilot who considers the Soviets the enemy. He’s a staunch believer in the American Way. He gets the chance to fly a secret mission, but then everything goes wrong. His plane is shot down, his co-pilot dies, and he ends up injured in the snow.
When he regains consciousness, he meets a man named Nikolai, played by Kenneth Branagh. Nikolai has all kinds of American stuff in his house. He’s a former KGB agent, but he’s actually quite helpful. He wants to travel to America and drive across the country in an RV. That’s his big dream. Branagh plays this character absolutely fantastically. He’s lived alone for a long time, and you can see it in his eyes. He’s really funny without even saying a word.
Troy has to trust Nick to make it back home. Nick wants Troy to help him and his daughter Anna get asylum in America. They argue a lot. That creates that “buddy comedy” vibe we all love so much. Ryan Reynolds is a bit more serious than usual, which works well. This makes him the perfect counterpart to Branagh’s quirky, funny character.
THE GENRE OF “MAYDAY” FITS THE FILMMAKERS LIKE A GLOVE, BUT THEIR CREATIVITY STILL SHINES THROUGH CLEARLY
The film shows that Troy’s “heroic” attitude is really just arrogance. He thinks he’s better than everyone else. His time with Nick teaches him that the world isn’t just black and white. That’s a clever way to use the characters. There’s also a villain named Alexander Volkov. He’s a Soviet official who detests the idea of peace. He wants to keep the conflict going.
Volkov mainly serves to illustrate why wars break out, but the real fun lies in simply watching Troy and Nick on their journeys. The directors are excellent at putting the characters in bizarre situations. There’s a scene on a train that’s very well done. Another scene inside a closet is one of the funniest things I’ve seen all year. The way everything is filmed looks great, too.
The film sometimes feels a little constrained by the conventions of the “buddy comedy,” but it’s still well worth watching. It subverts expectations in ways you might not see coming. If you’re in the mood for an entertaining, intelligent comedy, check out the movie on Apple TV this September.
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