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Send Help Review
Image Credit: 20th Century Studios
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Directed By: Sam Raimi
Written By: Damian Shannon & Mark Swift
Runtime: 114 minutes
MPA Rating: Rated R for strong/bloody violence and language.
Rachel McAdams – Linda Liddle
Dylan O’Brien – Bradley Preston
Dennis Haysbert – Franklin
Xavier Samuel – Donovan
Chris Pang – Chase
Edyll Ismail – Zuri
Bruce Campbell – Mr. Preston
Sam Raimi creates some wild fun in the devious black comedy, Send Help. The tropical island-themed suspense thriller is horror-adjacent rather than a pure horror film, due to it mix with black comedy. Raimi giddily returns to some of his old-school tricks and tropes for an overall entertainingly demented romp.
McAdams stars as the socially awkward, mousy, and bookish Linda Liddle, who works in the strategy and planning department of a big corporate consulting company. With young Bradley Preston (O’Brien) ascending to the throne, taking over for his late father, Linda hopes that she will finally receive the promotion that she was promised.
Sadly for Linda, Bradley massively cringes from Linda’s style, passing over her promotion for his old frat buddy Donovan (Samuel). Unfortunately for Bradley, a business trip to Thailand that Linda is allowed to join, goes terribly wrong when their plane crashes in a massive storm, and leaves Linda and Bradley stranded on a deserted tropical island.
As luck would have it, Linda has experience in the great outdoors, and she’s an expert at surviving in the wild with no civilization in sight. Lost in the middle of nowhere, Linda finds herself in her element thanks to her exceptional survival skills, inverting the power dynamics between her and her toxic, abusive, and bullying boss. As the narrative progresses, things grow more tense, and a descent into madness and mayhem follows in this darkly comedic tropical island adventure.
Raimi totally embraces the premise of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift’s cleverly fun script, going from zero to one hundred in the plane crash sequence. Fans of Raimi’s trademark, unique style will appreciate many of his familiar hallmarks, from shocking moments of violence that are so extreme and outrageous that they borders on slapstick, low-angle tracking shots, and a familiar blend of dark comedy.
McAdams and O’Brien exceptionally shine in their roles, as the plot flips the script on their boss and employee relationship. On the island, O’Brien, as a petulant and petty dude bro, is stripped of his power and now must follow Linda’s lead, which provides significant fun and humor. However, Linda also exhibits some off-putting traits that re-contextualize her image as a put-upon, long-suffering, socially awkward blue-collar worker.
Raimi, through his interpretation of Shannon and Swift’s script, constantly keeps the audience on guard, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it does eventually drop. Characters grow more wild, unhinged, and feral, providing some delightful antics.
Make a few changes, and this premise could have easily evolved into a more cliché type of rom-com. Thankfully, Send Help never goes that route, but the movie still throws in some tantalizing twists and turns as Raimi ratchets up the tension.
The main issue with Send Help lies in its ending, which plays like it could have gone a little further. The final act provides some interesting thrills, but it’s not entirely successful in its execution. At the same time, Raimi commits to the traditional black comedy style. Mileage on the final act and ending may vary.
Additionally, there are some unfortunately underwhelming shots of CG involving a wild boar. The movie kind of gains some ground back with how the scene finishes off, but the boar looks gloriously fake.
Nevertheless, it’s fun to see that Sam Raimi can still deliver a smaller-scale back-to-basics story like this, after spending decades crafting big-budget superhero blockbusters. Send Help isn’t so much a return to form for old-school Raimi, but more of a fun throwback, filled with familiar and entertaining Raimi-isms.
Where To Watch Send Help
Send Help opens in theaters on January 30. Tickets and showtime information are available at the movie’s website.
