Send Help is a gore-filled, hilarious survival thriller where Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien trade power on a remote island.
For fans of Sam Raimi, the anticipation for Send Help has been a mix of nervous energy and high expectations. He has always been great at finding that specific intersection where slapstick comedy meets visceral, stomach-churning horror. After sitting through his latest survival thriller, I can safely say: Send Help is exactly what I wanted it to be. It is a delightful comedic romp until the moment it isn’t, shifting gears with a whiplash-inducing intensity that only Raimi can master.
The film centers on Linda (Rachel McAdams) and Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien). The setup is a classic “eat the rich” scenario with a corporate twist. Linda is the backbone of her company, the woman who keeps the gears turning, yet she’s constantly talked down to and often ignored by the upper management. Enter Bradley: a stuck-up, entitled rich kid who inherited his father’s business. In a move that feels all too real for anyone who has hit a glass ceiling, Bradley gives Linda’s promised promotion to a fraternity brother of his who has only worked at the company for six months instead.
The tension is already at a boiling point when their plane crashes on a remote island while en route to an international merger. It’s here that the power dynamics don’t just shift; they are completely demolished.
Once the wreckage settles, the movie truly finds its stride. Linda, a lifelong Survivor super-fan, instantly kicks into high gear. She knows how to build shelter, find food, and source clean water. Bradley, meanwhile, is sidelined by a leg injury sustained in the crash.
What follows is a brilliant, subtle game of cat and mouse. Watching Dylan O’Brien play a monster, so to speak, is a refreshing change of pace from his usual heroic roles. He portrays Bradley’s incompetence and arrogance with such a love-to-hate-him energy that you find yourself rooting for Linda to leave him to the elements. McAdams is equally brilliant, giving us a character who is competent and relatable, yet possesses a certain edge that makes you realize you should probably keep her at arm’s length.
If you were worried that Raimi might have gone soft, put those fears to rest. This film has his DNA written all over it. From the frantic camera movements to the angles and close-up shots that signal a descent into madness, the cinematography is pure Raimi.
The third act is, for lack of a better word, bonkers. The movie leans heavily into over-the-top blood and gore that will have horror aficionados relishing every frame. Multiple hide-behind-your-hands moments are equally funny and ridiculous. It’s a tonal tightrope walk that balances the humor of the situation with the visceral reality of survival, leading to an ending that people will be talking about for quite some time.
As much as I loved it, the film isn’t technically perfect. If you are a stickler for high-end visual effects, you might find the CG a bit distracting. Specifically, the plane crash sequence and a certain encounter with a wild boar look a little early 2000s.
However, in the context of a Sam Raimi film, these flaws are incredibly easy to forgive. The practical effects and the sheer fun factor of the performances more than make up for a few wonky pixels. The movie has so much heart and attitude that the low-rent CG almost feels like a stylistic choice – a nod to the B-movie roots that Raimi has always embraced.
Overall Thoughts On Send Help
Send Help is one-hundred percent Sam Raimi, in the best way possible, and a career-highlight performance for both Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. It’s a movie that understands the catharsis of watching a capable person finally take control of their life, even if they have to get a little blood on their hands to do it.
About Send Help
Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s an unsettling, darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
Send Help comes to theaters on January 30th.
