It’s a new Sam Raimi film! Always an exciting time around the office. No pun intended.
About: Send Help (2026) is a dark, psychological survival thriller directed by Sam Raimi, featuring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as co-workers stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash. Forced to overcome past workplace grievances and power struggles, the two must cooperate to survive in a brutal environment.
Reaction: SEND HELP succeeds so well by what it does and also what it doesn’t do, and is also a return to form for filmmaker Sam Raimi who brings some of his old school gore and pyrotechnics after, I think, faltering a bit in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and not properly using his real talents.
At first I thought this was going to be about gender roles in the office, but the screenplay here is way too smart for that. The plane crash and eventual winding up on a remote island leads to a total character change for both of our protagonists. Early in the movie we learn of Linda’s almost near obsession with the TV show SURVIVOR and her character is given an opportunity to not only practice her survival skills in the wild, but also LIKE it and become obsessed with it to a degree.
I noted a few interesting film connections here including CAST AWAY but even TRIANGLE OF SADNESS from a few years ago (though this script for SEND HELP has been in development for several years so this is just a coincidence) with a third act twist that still totally got me.
At its core is a wonderful performance by Rachel McAdams that is so utterly crazy when you think about it and how she takes things to the next level against O’Brien, who here too is excellent as a boss who has a LOT of issues dealing the power change.
Overall I was pleased with what a darkly comic funny ride this is, made more fun by not just its delightfully campy performances but filmmaker Sam Raimi taking it up a notch with the violence and mayhem that brings it back a bit to his original gory roots as opposed to his recent flatlining with his Marvel contributions. Definitely for adults only (it’s pretty violent and graphic times, so “Viewer Discretion is Advised” as the TV used to say) but give SEND HELP a look!
SEND HELP is now playing in theatres.