It's perhaps not the highest form of praise, then, to proclaim that Mayday – the new Apple TV original starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh – is comfortably among the upper tier of this particular canon.
But this '80s-set Cold War adventure from Game Night and Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves directing duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley is a breezy and amiable film that has more than enough personality and heart to stand out from the painfully generic crowd.
Enter Nikolai Ustinov (a Russian-accented Branagh), who is first on the scene at the crash sight and takes an unconscious Troy into his remote cottage. When Troy reawakens, the very first thing he sees is Tom Cruise – a poster of the aforementioned Top Gun giving us an early clue that his saviour might be more open to American culture than the typical Russian.
It's the odd couple, somewhat unsure dynamic between this central pair that informs the tone for the rest of the runtime, as Nik swears to help Troy reach safety and the latter learns that the more extreme negatives he's heard about Russian people might not be entirely accurate.
View Green Video on the source websiteThroughout, Goldstein and Daley keep the set pieces coming at a welcome pace, from a finely shot, expertly choreographed bar brawl (with the leads carrying out their own stunts) to an amusing sequence that finds the pair seeking refuge in the cupboard of a high-ranking KGB officer.
The film's emotional core is also given a lift by the late introduction of Nik's daughter Anna (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm's Maria Bakalova), a dissident with whom he had previously been at odds, and while a background storyline surrounding the health of Troy's father is slightly undercooked, this also ends up playing a key role in the climactic events.
Mayday is released on Apple TV on Friday 4 September.
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