Sam Raimi makes his return to the director's chair with Send Help, a violent black comedy that ultimately fails to deliver on its initial promise. Scripted by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, the film presents a desert island survival scenario where two plane crash survivors engage in a tense face-off. While the opening premise shows potential for shrewd satire, the movie is ultimately undermined by Raimi's insistence on injecting unnecessary horror elements that feel tacked-on and unconvincing.
A Promising Premise Derailed
The promotional campaign for Send Help positions it as a horror film, but this classification proves misleading. What begins as an entertaining desert island parable - drawing clear inspiration from JM Barrie's The Admirable Crichton and other survival dramas - gradually loses its way through derivative plot developments and gratuitous violence. The film's most surprising element may be its apparent borrowing from a recent Cannes Palme d'Or winner, an unexpected narrative choice that doesn't quite land effectively.
Character Dynamics and Performances
Rachel McAdams delivers a solid performance as Linda Liddle, a brilliant but underappreciated corporate researcher whose expertise is routinely overlooked by her male superiors. Living alone with only a caged bird for company, Linda's character represents the smart, capable woman constantly sidelined in a male-dominated workplace. Her ambition to appear on a popular survivor television show becomes a source of mockery for her colleagues, particularly when they discover her impressive bushcraft skills through online audition footage.
Dylan O'Brien portrays Bradley Preston, the vacuous new CEO and nepotism beneficiary who embodies everything wrong with corporate culture. As the son of the company's late founder, Bradley reneges on his father's promise to promote Linda, instead subjecting her to constant humiliation alongside his equally odious colleagues. The dynamic between these two characters forms the core of the film's narrative, particularly after their private jet crashes during a business trip to Thailand, leaving them as the only survivors on a remote island.
From Setup to Silliness
The initial setup presents an enjoyable reversal of fortune, as the previously powerless Linda becomes the de facto leader in their survival situation while the arrogant Bradley struggles to adapt. This first act shows genuine promise, with watchable scenes depicting Bradley's gradual realisation of their new reality. However, the film's momentum falters as it progresses through increasingly derivative plot twists.
The introduction of gratuitous violence and gore represents the film's most significant misstep. These horror-inspired flourishes feel inconsistent with the established characterisation and tone, transforming what could have been a clever satire into something approaching exasperating silliness. Rather than enhancing the tension or thematic depth, these elements undermine the film's believability and narrative coherence.
Final Verdict
While McAdams' performance provides some redeeming qualities and the initial premise offers entertainment value, Send Help ultimately disappoints. Raimi's signature style, which has served him well in previous projects, feels misapplied here, with the horror elements coming across as spurious additions designed to please a specific fanbase rather than organic components of the story. The film's promising social commentary about workplace dynamics and gender politics gets lost amidst the unnecessary violence and unconvincing plot developments.
Send Help will be released on 29 January in Australia, 30 January in the United States, and 6 February in the United Kingdom. Despite its talented cast and occasionally sharp observations about corporate culture, the film serves as a cautionary tale about how excessive genre elements can undermine an otherwise interesting premise.
