Send Help

Gushing with frenetic humor, two magnificently cutthroat performances, and some well-placed grimy moments of gore, Send Help blows snot, spurts blood, and gauges eyes the only way Sam Raimi knows how. Full review: https://www.giantfreakinrobot.com/ent/horror/send-help-review.html

Full review: https://movieswetextedabout.com/send-help-movie-review-rachel-mcadams-anchors-sam-raimis-return-to-his-visceral-roots/ Rating: B "Send Help asserts itself as a triumph of controlled chaos and a compelling return of Sam Raimi to an original story, balancing visceral horror with effective social satire. The technical mastery of his direction, allied with Danny Elfman‘s dynamic score and, primarily, the explosive chemistry between Rachel McAdams (MVP) and Dylan O’Brien, elevates the material far beyond simple genre cinema. It’s a movie that dissects the incompetence of power with a sadistic smile, reminding us that when social conventions collapse, true human nature reveals itself in the bloodiest and most honest way possible."

The spirit of “Nine to Five” (1980) is alive and well for “Linda” (Rachel McAdams) as she is constantly being passed over for promotion by golf-playing men who rely on her to do all the work. She hopes for change when new employer “Bradley” (Dylan O’Brien) takes over from his dad, but a combination of his best mate from university and her liking for tuna duly kiboshes that. She is, however, to embark on a team trip to Thailand for a merger meeting and it’s en route that a violent storm leaves her and her hapless boss stranded on a tropical island. It turns out that she is a woman well equipped to survive whilst the injured "Brad" hasn’t a clue, so yet again she appears to be doing all the donkey work whilst he lies under a palm frond expecting to be waited on hand and foot. Exasperated, “Linda” decides she can get by without this obnoxious parasite and so leaves him to languish in the sun in the hope that he will come to realise his failings and her value. Now with new lines slowly being drawn between them, what chance they will be rescued and are either of them being remotely honest with the other? Whilst this isn’t really scary at all, there is still quite a fun “Robinson Crusoe” dynamic between McAdams and O’Brien as their battle of the sexes ebbs and flows. They finesse the arts of boar hunting and berry eating; he learns to appreciate the eye-watering dangers of toxic fish and for most of the film it’s an enjoyably pithy and well-written joust between these two, clearly unevenly matched, characters. I didn’t really like the last twenty minutes so much. They felt rushed, unnecessarily violent and though there is a juicy degree of vindication about it, it didn’t quite top off what is an otherwise entertaining drama that mercifully keeps romance at bay throughout as it shouts clearly the benefits of a meritocracy.

Pretty fun dark comedy-horror that features two solid performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O'Brien. Some decent enough gore and a whole a good way to spend two hours. Not sure I'll revisit even on home video but still entertaining, nevertheless. **3.5/5**

Sam Raimi’s Send Help is a brilliant, twisted exploration of the thin veneer of civilization, anchored by two of the most compelling performances in recent horror-comedy. The story thrives on a deliciously dark "eat the rich" premise: Linda Liddle, a mousey and overworked employee, finds herself the sole protector of her arrogant, incompetent boss, Bradley Preston, after their jet crashes on a remote island. What begins as a survival thriller quickly evolves into a psychological power struggle. The narrative shift from saving the boss to surviving the boss—and eventually subjugating the boss—is handled with a brutal, cynical wit that keeps you guessing until the final frame. The performances are what truly elevate the film to that 9/10 status. Rachel McAdams delivers a career-defining turn; she masterfully navigates Linda’s descent from a timid office worker into a primal, slightly unhinged survivalist. Watching her switch from a look of genuine fear to a cold, calculating stare is chilling. Opposite her, Dylan O’Brien is fantastic as the entitled nepo-baby Bradley. He manages to be loathsome enough that you root for his suffering, yet vulnerable enough to make the island’s cruelty feel visceral. Together, they turn a simple survival story into a high-stakes character study that proves the most dangerous thing on a deserted island isn't the wildlife—it’s the person holding the water bottle.

Raimi is a good director. He has directed a good movie starring and incredibly good actress with good humour. And what a good movie it is. Like, it's Rachel. She's hot! She's a nice girl! Ohh. She's not hot? Wow! What a challenging, funny film. One unfortunate thing about this good movie is that it's entirely stolen. I paid to go watch Triangle of Sadness x uhhh Oh, Hi! x uhhhh bunch of other movies. This movie existed before it existed. Its twists, turns and turbulence have all been done before and that is a shame. It's done well, though. I believe you will enjoy it. I didn't remember to look for the car.