Movie Meow: ‘Mayday’ an enjoyable flick that defies labels

“Mayday”

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Kenneth Branagh

Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “8” paws out of 10.

“Mayday” is a term that shall forever hold a very special meaning to me. The moment I was ejected from my mother’s womb, she started screaming out loud “Mayday, Mayday,” to the hospital staff that surrounded her. Well, for all you scholars keeping score, mayday is typically referred to as a dire distress signal, calling out for bloody help. Well, lucky enough for you, the reader, you are stuck with me, yours truly!

In this “Mayday,” decorated lieutenant Troy Kelly, played by Ryan Reynolds (“Green Lantern”), takes part in a top-secret surveillance mission high above Soviet airspace. Things take a dramatic drop in elevation after Troy is ejected from the plane over barren Russian wilderness. He is rescued by a native named Nikolai Ustinov, played by the always-pleasing Kenneth Branagh (“Death on the Nile”), who brings his own bag of tricks, both good and bad.

Newly streaming at home on Apple+, “Mayday” is tough to nail down as one particular genre. As a fan of not believing everything under the sun is required to carry a label, I would have to agree that this film in particular is part buddy comedy, part action-adventure, and in part is also a survival thriller! If you are looking for something to be labeled as only one concrete genre, perhaps head on over to your nearest JCPenney’s!

I can’t really say enough good about the quality of this project. I laughed a ton at a script that was without a doubt actually written with care. There was also a tender nature to the building relationship between the two male leads.

Reynolds, whose career has been overshadowed as of late with all the drama that comes with his wife, needed a superb role to redeem the doubters, and has redeemed himself! Grab your parachute because, like me, you are bound to love this wild ride.