The world premiere took place on September 1, 2026 in New York, and on September 4, 2026 the film became available worldwide on Apple TV.
The first twenty minutes or so of "Mayday" can easily deceive you. It seems like an ordinary war drama: the Cold War, airplanes, a secret mission, stern faces, and all that we have seen many times before.
And then the film unexpectedly begins to pick up.
There appears drive, serious action, special effects, drama, and humor. A bit of everything, but together it works much more interestingly than you expect at the start. And most importantly, it quickly becomes clear that this is not so much a film about pilots as a political-psychological spy action film.
Yes, the story centers on an American military pilot, but don't expect a new "Top Gun" here. The airplanes are just part of a bigger game. Much more important are intelligence, secret operations, distrust between people, and the constant question: who here is really whose ally?
Starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh. And here Branagh is especially curious: seeing him in such a physical, almost combat role is quite unexpected. Reynolds, of course, brings his signature sarcasm, and it is precisely humor that regularly saves the film in places where the plot starts taking itself too seriously.
In general, there are quite a few famous actors here, and many indeed appear in rather unusual roles. It's also interesting to watch that.
Of course, if you start to pick apart what's happening, enough questions will pile up. There are conventions, there are inconsistencies, there are moments when you want to ask:
"Could this really have happened exactly like that?"
But here it's better to accept the rules of the game right away.
This is not a historical reconstruction or a documentary espionage drama. It is a light adventure action film, which loves spectacular scenes, spy moves, and a good dose of self-irony.
And closer to the finale, the film picks up speed once again. The ending is very dynamic, the scale becomes bigger, the action — more energetic, and in the end the picture finishes noticeably better than it starts.
Therefore, our overall impression is good.
"Mayday" is a light, dynamic action film with a political subtext, spy intrigue, humor, and excellent acting.
Not perfect, at times conventional, but it's really pleasant to watch.
Gaya's final score is 8.0/10.
