Directed By Sam Raimi

Starring – Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Dennis Haysbert

The Plot – Two work colleagues (McAdams, O’Brien) become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.

Rated R for strong/bloody violence and adult language

Send Help | Official Trailer | In Theaters Jan 30

POSITIVES

Take Stephen King’s “Misery” and throw it in a blender with any 90’s Sandra Bullock romantic comedy, and alas you have “Send Help”, another genre-bending, tonal-enveloping rollercoaster from Sam Raimi, which at the very least takes audiences on a ride of resiliency by delivering campy fun in droves. Despite my reservations about the kind of movie that this eventually turns out to be, I must say that Raimi directs the hell out of this film, not only while reveling in the awkwardness of the ice-breaking tension of the workplace, which comedically establishes a precedent in the shifting power dynamic between McAdams’ Linda and O’Brien’s Bradley, but also this proverbial flip of the switch that enacts the kind of frenetic mayhem that the celebrated director has continuously incorporated into his movies, taking his characters and their conflict along a tense and even terrifying adventure with a few meticulously inserted twists and over the top carnage candy, in order to reshape the stakes and circumstances of what’s at play. This is especially the case with the movie’s climatic third act, where the final twenty minutes of the movie finally lives up to the hype that was outlined in the movie’s marketing trailers, deconstructing everything previously learned about these characters and their established dominance, while forging a cut-throat, blood-curdling confrontation that earns every square inch of its much-needed R-rating. While nowhere near the best of Raimi’s helming efforts, there is a clear distinction and familiarity with the anxiously claustrophobic shots and lingering facials that speak volumes to the broad strokes of the experienced director, where in lesser hands a movie like this would fall by the wayside of mediocrity, but instead thrives on making the most of its single stage setting, far from the confines of the corporate office and frat-bro hierarchy that ultimately keeps Linda from advancing. Raimi receives plenty of help in the production, whether in the form of Danny Elfman’s thunderously tribal score rivetingly enacting compositions that feel directly plucked from TV’s “Survivor”, as well as the costume and wardrobe choices, which interchangeably breed a virtual scorecard in appearance for which of these characters maintains the grip on the control of power. This especially helps to transform the personalities of each of the characters in ways that are clearly evident towards conveying the versatility of their respective performances, with Linda evolving more glamorously, while Bradley succumbs to skin rashes and thread decay that subtly magnify the passage of time that isn’t firmly documented in the movie’s presentation. Speaking of the McAdams and O’Brien’s emotionally ratcheted turns, each of them brings a radiant charisma and intentionally rocky chemistry that helps bring their budding rivalry to life, all the while shifting their respective demeanors so transparently, the more time they spend deserted on the island. As to where McAdams initially adorns Linda with a bumbling quirkiness and thankless kindness that allows anyone she comes into contact with to practically devour her whole, she grows to exude a naturalized confidence and emerging psychology in ways that evolve her without sacrificing the outlined identity of the character, and it’s a role that McAdams revels in devilishly with the nerdy demeanor that would grate on anyone’s nerves who have to spend days alone with her character. As for Dylan O’Brien, his arrogantly conceited demeanor and selfishly ignorant delivery feels so effortlessly materialized in the confines of such an unlikeable character, challenging audiences to take pleasure in his agonized suffering, even at the hands of a woman whose mental instability leaves her anything but an ideal protagonist, and in a role that could easily feel one-dimensional, there is a tediousness to his portrayal that hints at a heart buried deep beneath elegant threads and suede shoes, providing another meaningful turn to an actor who has had quite a redeeming post-Covid career.

NEGATIVES

Unfortunately, “Send Help” is a product of manipulative marketing, courtesy of accommodating trailers that present it as a survival horror film, when in reality it’s a campy comedy with a dash of romanticism to its underlining mystique. While this is always a bit conventionally expected from a director like Raimi, who doesn’t adhere to the rules and logic of a particular genre’s characteristics, it does leave audiences waiting for their expectations to properly materialize, especially with an opening act and initialized set-up that takes a bit longer than expected to put the plot device in motion. If the film had more of the edge-of-your-seat mayhem and character vulnerability of its aforementioned climax, then it would’ve received a healthier balance among the dominance of the openly comedic consistency, in turn crafting some much-needed thrills to the many surprises of the island, which in turn feels like a character of its own in the movie, but sadly that third act shift feels so sharp that it feels like an entirely different movie all together, and one that capitalizes on its potential a bit later than expected in a nearly two hour movie. On top of this, the script can occasionally be a bit sloppy and unintentionally transparent, particularly while sewing the seeds for some eventual reveals, to which the exposition works feverishly to unsubtly enact. Sometimes it pertains to a side of the island in the distance that we’re vocally told is too dangerous to travel to, while others the camera work emphatically conveys the danger of an environment, in which we wait for a character to face life-compromising peril, and I just wish that the script chose not to hint at these things, and instead just let them play out for the spontaneity of audience interpretation, in turn not only crafting a situational tension and stress that conveys the urgency of the environment, but also evade some evidential predictability that should never be a part of any Sam Raimi film, regardless of intention. Finally, the one continued hinderance to Raimi movies sadly finds its way into his newest film, and I’m of course talking about some jarring special effects deposits that are laughably artificial to say the least. Raimi justifiers will typically say that this feeds effectively to the campy tones that comprise the off-beat personalities in his films, but to me they feel like the kinds of glaring distractions that rob a scene or sequence of its authenticity and corresponding tension, crafting embarrassing laughter to visuals that play even worse on the big screen. Sometimes it pertains to computer-generated animals that attack either of the characters, with choppily hollow movements and a complete lack of heft on the integrity of practical properties, while other times it evokes these obviously lifeless greenscreen backdrops that compromise the danger and urgency of the set pieces centered around them, and though the movie’s budget is currently undisclosed among the publicized media, it does give off the unwavering impression of being a cheaply enacted product attempting to turn an even bigger profit, an objective that wouldn’t necessarily be a problem if the movie wasn’t on an exotic location like an island to film an overwhelming majority of its scenes.

OVERALL
“Send Help” might not be the full extent of the psychological thriller that was advertised, but it is A campily resilient battle of wills in the corporate office that inspires miles to the overstuffed ‘Eat the rich’ subgenre that has emerged in recent years. Though threatened by cheaply rendered special effects and telegraphed reveals within the script, the film is aided by backbone performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien lending personality and dimensionality to these characters, as well as a riveting climax constructed feverishly from the master of memorable endings, in turn making it an entertaining escape into isolation, where nobody can hear the screams enacted by vitriolic vengeance.

My Grade: 6.6 or C+