Why Mayday's Ryan Reynolds Chemistry Divides Critics

There are films that quietly sneak up on you and others that announce themselves with a wink and a punch. Mayday belongs to the latter: loud, clever, and built around one oddball partnership that refuses to play it safe.

Directed and co-written by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, Mayday is an action-comedy set against Cold War backdrops and fast planes. Ryan Reynolds headlines as a sharp-tongued naval pilot stranded behind enemy lines, with Kenneth Branagh playing a slippery ex-K.G.B. operative. Marcin Dorocinski, Maria Bakalova and David Morse round out a cast that leans into both stunts and silliness.

Critics haven't landed on a single consensus. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists 55 reviews and an 84% approval rating, while Metacritic compiles 20 reviews for a score of 60/100. Numbers that high and that split tell you Mayday is doing a lot of things right — and a few things that grate, depending on your taste.

Some reviewers hail it as the duo's sharpest work yet. Collider crowned it near-brilliant, arguing that Goldstein and Daley once again surprise with agile plotting and that Reynolds and Branagh make a strikingly effective team. Their action beats, the review suggests, are not just serviceable but genuinely inspired.

Others describe a reliably entertaining movie that rarely strives for profundity. RogerEbert.com praises a slick directorial rhythm and highlights Branagh's unexpectedly joyful turn, while TheWrap applauds the film's constant playfulness — an aesthetic choice that lets Mayday stand apart from flatter blockbuster fare.

Then there are the middle-of-the-road takes that point to an uneven but enjoyable ride. Screen Rant and IGN land in this camp: both call Mayday a fun action-comedy, rich in the kind of inventive humor that powered the filmmakers' earlier hits, yet not flawless as a whole. The movie offers memorable set pieces and laugh-out-loud moments, even if the glue between them sometimes loosens.

Some critics take a sterner view. The Guardian and Empire find the film's tone occasionally too silly and its ambitions modest. And The A.V. Club, far less forgiving, argues that the novelty of the mismatched leads fades once the movie settles into its groove.

At its best, Mayday is a joyous, old-school buddy caper with smart action and sharp comic chemistry; at its weakest, the novelty that fuels its early thrills wears thin.

What emerges from these mixed responses is not a failure but a film with personality. Reynolds brings his habitual quicksilver charm; Branagh leans into a rare, physical comedic edge. The set pieces are often inventive, the tone rambunctious, and the filmmakers clearly had fun assembling stunts that feel tactile rather than CGI-polished. Is it the smartest movie of the year? Not necessarily. Is it one of the most entertaining? For many viewers, absolutely.

So where does Mayday land for you? If you crave razor-sharp satire or somber drama, temper expectations. If you want a spirited, fast-moving buddy picture with a few jaw-dropping action sequences and a lot of personality, this flight might be worth taking.