Cold War comedy Mayday is a cry for help
In Mayday, the Dungeons & Dragons filmmakers pair Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh for a culture clash in need of jokes.
In 1987, Lt. Troy Kelly, a skilled Navy fighter pilot, is tasked with assisting a cunning black ops pilot on a covert mission over Russian territory. Kelly crashes in remote Russia and is taken in by Nikolai, a former KGB agent with a penchant for McDonald's. The unlikely duo must navigate the snowy landscape to return Kelly to safety.
While the film features some impressive action sequences and a quirky pair of leads, it struggles to balance humor with meaningful messages about understanding our enemies. The movie's attempts at humor and its nods to the '80s, such as Van Halen's "Jump", can be overwhelming. Ultimately, Mayday fails to find its footing and leaves viewers with a sense of disconnection, even as it attempts to champion the importance of learning about our perceived adversaries.
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