Send Help is chaotic, delirious fun made for the big screen
Sam Raimi’s latest release Send Help (2026) is all about surviving — 20th Century Studios
One way or another Rachel McAdams is gonna get ya, get ya, get ya.
Sam Raimi keeps audiences guessing in his latest genre-blending flick about a woman and her obnoxious boss stranded on a desert island. Her survival skills and positive outlook clash with her new rich kid boss but they somehow make it work in a film packed with surprises.
Rachel McAdams stars as a literal bird lady pushed close to the edge. Her character Linda Liddle — a middle aged, hard working ‘Strategy & Planning’ employee — was promised a promotion to VP by her new boss’ father. Now in charge, Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) doesn’t think she has the people skills or golfing abilities for that position.
The set up in this film is very on the nose. Linda has been treated badly by life. She is invaluable to the company that she works for but she dresses badly, eats smelly food at her desk, is laughed at and used by her coworkers. Her new boss is an obnoxious, rich kid giving his ‘pals’ jobs as long as they bow down to him.
The final scene before the pair end up on a desert island somewhere in the Pacific takes place on a private jet. While Linda is busy working away trying to prove to Bradley that she deserves the promotion, he is up front laughing about her Survivor audition tape with his buddies — the tape confirming to audiences that there is more to Linda than meets the eye. Then disaster strikes and we get a glimpse at what Linda is capable of when the guy getting her promotion tries to take her seat.
Now stranded on a small island, the only two survivors are Linda and Bradley. This isn’t the office anymore, your power is gone Bradley. What ensues is a genre blending rollercoaster — the ‘never let them know your next move’ trend if it was a $40 million movie. Filled with everything from jump scares to fourth wall breaks to wild boar attacks. There are heartfelt moments, hints of romcom, poison berries, fever dreams and a mysterious knife.
Dylan O’Brien and Rachel McAdams star in the genre blending survivor flick — 20th Century Studios
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien’s performances are strong. Their laughs steal the show. O’Brien nails the macho, asshole boss laugh. An obnoxious chuckle he uses throughout the film, portraying the stereotype expertly. While McAdams finds that perfect mix of innocent and ‘oh shit she’s crazy.’ Both actors’ laughs add so much to the film. They build tension and add unease for the audience, making it almost uncomfortable at times. There is that element of the characters going delirious as they stand stranded on an island in the middle of nowhere.
A particular scene stands out early on in the second act. The two are sitting around a fire at night and they begin laughing about the situation that they find themselves in. Linda is in her element on the island putting her vast knowledge and survival skills to the test — her Survivor obsession quite useful as it turns out — while Bradley would be dead without her. Both of them laugh and laugh back and forward. His obnoxious, mouth wide open, and hers hyper, slightly crazy. As you sit in the cinema, you can’t help but laugh along with them. It was a key moment in the film but also for the audience sitting there watching it. In fact it was the best cinema experience I have had in recent memory. It felt like the good old days of the cinema — audiences laughing out loud, experiencing something together.
“Monsters aren’t born, they’re made.”
That scene was one of many campfire scenes integral to the plot. These short intimate moments sprinkled throughout gave glimpses into the people behind the mask. They were revealing and tender. Touching moments that explained why each character was the way that they were and hinted at what might be to come — helping to build the nagging tension throughout the film.
From the get-go there is a constant, building anticipation of somebody snapping. You are waiting for it to happen, even before they board the private jet. Raimi does this brilliantly. The film feels like it jumps around different genres. There’s comedy, hints of romance, it's heartwarming and wholesome but at times it’s a full-blown horror. There’s violence and gore, it feels clean and modern but at the same time can be gritty and surprisingly dark. It feels both like a light Netflix watch and a tense, edge of your seat thriller.
There is a surprising variety of camera angles and techniques. At times it is almost experimental. With extreme, lingering close ups to side-scrolling scenes and quick crops. It also has a lot of fading out instead of the now standard hard cuts. The film is a lot of fun to watch and it feels like Sam Raimi was having a lot of fun making it too.
Send Help is a survivor horror comedy unlike anything else you’ve seen. Sam Raimi is at his brilliant, chaotic best. While Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien have fun with two complex characters. It’s fun, it’s tense, it’s chaos, and it’s perfect for the big screen so go get a popcorn and watch it before it leaves cinemas.
★★★★☆