A Canadian plays an American and an Englishman plays a Russian in what is basically propaganda for “can’t we just all get along?”

… does that make it Canadian propaganda? I don’t know enough about Canadian jokes to see it.

Anyway, I enjoyed this ridiculous movie.

The opening scene is riffing directly off The Martian.

The first ten minutes or so is riffing so directly off Top Gun that I would not have been surprised if shirtless men playing volleyball had suddenly appeared. I was expecting a pick-up line/ singing moment in the bar Reynolds and his buddies are heading to.

And then they made loving Top Gun an entire throughline. So self-aware, much hilarity.

It can’t entirely decide what movie it wants to be: is this an homage to Hot Shots and its ilk, with a plot hidden in a spoof? Is it a lighthearted action film wearing its antecedents on its sleeve? I’m not quite sure. And I’m not sure it matters. It is certainly more successful than the first Expendables movie (which is so much worse than Expendables 2 I remain amazed it ever got made; that movie made Expendables 3 possible, though, so I am forever grateful. We do not mention the fourth movie).

Reynolds is basically playing himself, which is fine – it’s what I went in expecting. Branagh… I dunno, folks, this seems like such an odd choice for him. Has he got to the point where he’s just picking films that will amuse him? Maybe! And I’m happy for him if that’s the case! Do I wish that they had cast a Russian in the role? Of course I do. Would Apple have got as much mileage out of the stardom of both leads if they had? No they would not (and that’s leaving aside current political issues.) Reynolds’ character isn’t quite 2D, but pretty close. I don’t even remember his name (no wait, it’s Troy. I guess they thought Chad would be too much). No backstory! Just flyin’! At least they didn’t shove a tragic childhood in there. Or mess up 30 minutes of cool flying with a boring romance (looking at you, Top Gun). Branagh’s character, Nick, has slightly more depth – commentary on it being illegal to be queer in the USSR was, uh, not subtle.

Is it fun? Heck yes! Is it memorable? Not especially! Is it subtle about promoting the idea that the world should be better? Not in the slightest. But what’s fascinating is that it doesn’t come off entirely as American propaganda. Troy confronts at least some of the (Cold War era) failings of the USA… and many of the things he sees as being good about the US are questionable right now, to say the least. So is it actually propaganda? I mean, kind of. If the agenda is “be nicer to each other.”

… maybe it really is Canadian propaganda.