Send Help

Send Help is celebrated horror director Sam Raimi’s first R-rated film in 17 years and proves to be well worth the wait, offering an enormously fun and deliciously twisted genre blending two-hander between Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien. The film centers on Linda (McAdams), a corporate strategist and survival enthusiast who winds up being stranded on an island with her awful boss Bradley (O’Brien), and charts how the dynamic between the two changes in this new island setting. 

The script from Damian Shannon and Mark Swift is quite well-written and delivers a compelling character piece, which begins with a strong introduction to Linda and Bradley that almost immediately manages to get the audience on Linda’s side and root for her. As the film progresses, however, the script proves unafraid to push and change up the relationship between the two characters over the course of the film, introducing twists and revelations just when the dynamic between the two seems settled to play with the audience’s perceptions of them. Watching the shifting relationship between Linda and Bradley unfold proves every bit as entertaining as the other more visceral thrills that the film has to offer, with the layers and psychological depth offered to both characters making the conflict and relationship between both of them compelling to watch. There is some light commentary here about sexism and biases in the workplace, but the joys of the script lie chiefly in its characters and the anti-chemistry they share. The film as a whole also manages to blend tone and genre so well, easily balancing comedy, horror and action elements with a well-done character/relationship piece, which makes for a hugely enjoyable and entertaining movie experience.

As a Sam Raimi film it absolutely delivers on the disgusting horror setpieces, which are scattered throughout the film and are all deliciously crunchy and thrilling to watch. The action proves to be wonderfully bloody, kinetic and enjoyable. Of particular note is a thrilling sequence involving a large animal, as well as a delightfully gory third-act set piece which ends the film in some style. His directorial flair is also apparent in smaller sequences throughout the film, such as a one which shows Bradley becoming increasingly frustrated and despairing.

The success of the film also stems from its pair of strong central performances. O’Brien fits perfectly into his role and knows exactly what’s required of him as the “villain” initially, making him instantly hateable while never going over the top. As the film progresses, he then gets to show different sides to his character as the film places Bradley in more extreme situations and peels back the layers to him. Over the course of the film he gets to play Bradley as easily dismissive, arrogant, helpless, vulnerable, pleading, charming, joyful, desperate and angry, all of which he plays without a false note. 

As good as O’Brien is in the film, however, this is very much a reminder of just how effortlessly great of an actress Rachel McAdams is, as she adds yet another stellar performance to her filmography. McAdams is undoubtedly the star of Send Help, with the film knowing how to weaponise the innate charm and likeability that she can bring to her characters. McAdams is brilliant at embodying Linda throughout the film, from her initial meekness in the opening section of the film to her newfound assertiveness after she ends up on the island. Seeing Linda’s transformation from downtrodden office worker to confident survivalist is a testament to McAdams’s skill as an actress, while she also flexes her comedy chops throughout the film and gives Linda a delightful playfulness once on the island. As the story becomes more extreme McAdams also shines in getting to show a darker side of desperation, ferocity and deep need to her character. There is nothing more interesting to watch than an actor playing a character trying to hide their emotions, and a section towards the end of the film delightfully offers McAdams the chance to do exactly that. Her work in the film ends up culminating in a third act performance which is simply delicious to savour, balancing an achingly human vulnerability and loneliness with gonzo levels of ferocity and desperation.

Overall, Send Help proves to be an enormously fun time at the movies. This genre hybrid shines thanks to a strong script from Shannon and Swift, great direction by Sam Raimi and its superb central pairing of Dylan O’Brien and Rachel McAdams, with the latter in particular reaffirming her credentials as one of the best actresses of her generation.

8/10