Classic Raimi.
An undervalued office worker finds herself marooned on an island with her new, and belittling, boss. Can they reconcile their differences and survive?
Send Help is the newest film from director Sam Raimi, creator of classics such as The Evil Dead and the Spider-Man trilogy. It stars Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Spotlight) and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner movies) in the predominant roles of Linda and Bradley.
Raimi is an individual who wears many hats, and while directing is what people are familiar with, he doesn’t direct that many. The last film he “directed” was the wayward Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Fortunately, this new film is much more in line with what fans would expect. With a pleasant twist of unfamiliarity.
The film follows Linda, an office worker for a “budding Fortune 500” company (according to its new boss) and the apple in the eye of its former/late CEO. She’s a survivalist nerd without social skills, ignored by her peers, but set to become the new vice president. But when Bradley, the son of the CEO whom she has a crush on, takes over, he promotes a friend instead.
Everything starts to collapse around her; her life is bereft of meaning. Nothing can possibly salvage this situation. Except maybe for… a horrific plane crash?
The film starts familiarly enough; we see Linda trying and failing to socialise in the office. We also get the immediate reality that her boss, Bradley, has no time or respect for her. Linda lives at home alone with her pet bird, where they share eating toast at the same time. It is only when disaster strikes that we are strongly reminded: Oh yeah, this is a Raimi movie.
While Bradley rules the office with all the discouraging tyranny we’d expect, the tables are turned when Linda rescues him. Ever the survival expert, Linda is in her element while trapped on a remote island, and quickly takes charge. Much to Bradley’s frustration.
Rachel McAdams absolutely steals the show here. Certainly, Dylan O’Brien delivers a suitably punchable performance as a young, world-blind tech CEO. But McAdams plays an introverted but highly skilled office worker, a survivalist expert, and a scorned woman, all in one. It is transformative across the length of the movie, and constantly over-the-top and amplified. As you would want under Raimi’s direction.
While the writing team haven’t got the best credits (Freddy Vs Jason, the Friday th 13th remake, 2017’s Baywatch) the two leads are very good at the classic Raimi-style dark comedy. They regularly take chunks out of each other, while also providing some goofy antics as well. What it might lack in writing, it makes up for in performances.
But this isn’t sounding like a Raimi movie, you might be saying. I assure you it is. But to say more would be to spoil certain things. The film is not as horror-focused as earlier Raimi movies, but it certainly gets gory and intense throughout acts two and three. The film often surprises its audience with the scares and the tension. It is a comfortable marriage of survival drama and dark thriller.
If I were to say anything negative about it, it would be the use of CGI. Certainly, for what it is used for here it makes sense; it isn’t unnecessary. But looking back at Raimi’s work, it feels wrong whenever something isn’t practical. If it looks goofy, more power to it! Raimi’s style here is hard and fast; it is a goofy movie, so why not have some goofy scares. Horror films (or at least jump scares) feel more convincing with practical effects than brief, odd-looking CGI.
There’s also some narrative through-lines that I could have used more focus on. Again, not spoiling anything.
Send Help was a good time. Absolutely. It is certifiably a Sam Raimi movie, with two very good performances in the middle of it. A dollop of zany comedy, horror, and contemporary office grievances and familiarities, makes it a good time.
Additional Marshmallows: Yes, this competed directly with Markiplier’s Iron Lung at the box office. Yes, I grade them equally. I am aware.