Hate Watching Mayday: Flight Delayed

Send us Fan Mail A Top Gun homage is a dangerous game, and Mayday plays it on hard mode. We walk through Apple TV’s action comedy and try to figure out why it feels so watchable in the moment, yet so hard to love after the credits roll. The big issue is commitment: the movie wants 1987 Cold War stakes and modern punchline rhythm at the same time, and that split shows up everywhere from the dialogue to the action to the music choices. We get specific about casting and character. Kenneth Branagh feels like he belongs in the world, while Ryan Reynolds reads as a present-day superstar visiting the past, which makes the period vibe wobble. We also talk about what makes classic 80s action work: consequences, grit, and characters who actually suffer when they get hurt. When injuries turn into quick jokes and the plot keeps telegraphing its next move, the tension never has room to build. There are bright spots. The closet satellite phone sequence is genuinely funny and shows what the movie could have been if it kept that level of escalation and playfulness throughout. We also shout out moments where the visuals click, debate the final escape and asylum standoff, and then pivot to what we liked this week, including Parking Lot: The Movie and Chad Powers season two. Next up, we pick our next watch: Megan 2.0. Subscribe, share the show with a movie-loving friend, and leave a review if our nitpicks make your watchlist more fun. What would you fix first: the casting, the tone, or the stakes? Written lovingly by AI Be our friend! Dan: @shakybacon Tony: @tonydczech And follow the podcast on IG: @hatewatchingDAT