SEND HELP: Sam Raimi Delivers an Unhinged Survival Thriller

An under-appreciated office employee gets the revenge of a lifetime when she finds herself stuck on a deserted island with her insufferable new boss. Starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien, and directed by genre-beloved filmmaker Sam Raimi, Send Help is a slapstick-esque survival horror-thriller with wild twists and turns that mostly make up for some of its flaws.

Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams) from Planning & Strategy is the obnoxious, awkward one at her corporate job. Despite being great in her role, she is often overlooked by her peers. But not her boss, who took notice and promised her a promotion one day. Unfortunately, his untimely passing has left Linda without her promotion. And when her boss’s spoiled son, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien), steps in as CEO, Linda’s chances at a career move disappear. He’s arrogant, judgmental, and more impressed by someone’s golf game than their dedication to their job.

Focused on proving herself, Linda accepts an invitation to a business trip with Bradley and his equally annoying work buddies. But when their private plane crashes, only Linda and Bradley survive. Lucky for him, she’s a Survivor aficionado. But unlucky for him, she’s also kind of insane. 

Send Help is like Six Days, Seven Nights meets Horrible Bosses. Which makes it a very fun and unexpected ride. There’s a plethora of games that McAdams and O’Brien’s characters play with one another, as he constantly underestimates her, just as he did in the office. It does get a bit repetitive, but the film is certainly inventive with how it finds playfully deranged ways for them to face off against one another.

Raimi dazzles you with his directing. The filmmaker best known for The Evil Dead series, the original Spider-Man trilogy, and my personal favorite, Drag Me to Hell, has his signature style present in the film. The excessive blood and guts that gross out audiences. Those surreal horror moments that take you out of reality. And a clever nod to his actor pal Bruce Campbell. All of these things were a delight.

Although I will say that the 3D elements are particularly egregious when watching in a regular format. To partially quote another McAdams piece, can we stop trying to make 3D happen?

But aside from that, I think this film has some smart moments. For the most part, I enjoyed the progression of its story and how we learn more about both characters. And I think it has a playful twist on the adventure romances of the 90s, like the aforementioned Six Days, Seven Nights.

Though I would say the film does itself a bit of a disservice by overstaying its welcome.  It’s on this constant rollercoaster, as we see the two leads disdain for one another, needing to set that aside to work together to survive, but then letting that contempt return. This is really entertaining, but it starts to feel redundant, especially as we reach the third act.

It’s within this rollercoaster that I think there are just a lot of conflicting ideas that start to ruin things. For example, the character of Linda. She’s set up to be extremely easy to empathize with. And through certain revelations, they start to strip that away, making her somewhat unlikable. They almost achieve that perfect sweet spot for you to root for her to have her girl boss moment, but then overdo it, where she becomes a bit irredeemable.

Writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift had previously written Freddy vs. Jason, the 2009 Friday the 13th remake, and the Baywatch movie. An interesting resume to say the least, and I think it shows. Particularly for the female character, I felt she wasn’t written well — again, conflicting ideas on who she is as a person. And the cliched moment towards the end, when Bradley and Linda are at the peak of their conflict, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the lack of integrity they allowed her character to have.

On a surface level, Send Help is a hell of a good time. It’s likely the most unhinged survival training you’ll ever watch. McAdams and O’Brien are great; they are both giving it their all to produce a manic yet charming performance. And I had a lot of fun at various points of the film, even if some aspects felt lackluster. But in the end, it’s a silly little tropical adventure with some twisted humor, so if you don’t overthink things, it’s a solid watch.

Send Help is in theaters now