Folks, it seems we may be having an all-time great January movie-wise. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple was awesome, People We Meet On Vacation was a delight, and now we have the latest from the great Sam Raimi with Send Help. If that January release had you weary, do not fret, as Raimi's first original film since 2009's Drag Me To Hell is an absolute blast.
The film follows Rachel McAdams as Linda, a hardworking employee with a big tech company. When her company's new CEO, Bradley (Dylan O'Brien), denies her the big promotion she was promised, she sets out to prove her worth by accompanying him and some other higher-ups on an important sales trip to Bangkok. En route, their jet crashes, leaving Linda and Bradley stranded on a tropical island as the only survivors. Luckily, Linda is a massive Survivor fan and uses her vast array of learned survival skills to not just keep them alive, but also become the one in charge.
If you aren't familiar with Raimi's work already, he's the brilliant mind behind the original Evil Dead trilogy as well as the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movies. In my opinion, Raimi is at his best when tackling a comedic style of horror, and that's precisely what we get with Send Help. This takes the survival-horror subgenre and gives it a comedic twist, making it one of the most fun movies you'll see this year. Raimi's particular style of comedy works perfectly for this story of two opposites stuck with one another in the middle of nowhere, with some scenes so gratuitously gory you can't help but laugh a little. Another thing making this such a fun time is the way in which it flips power dynamics. I always find films that shift power in this way interesting, but Send Help fully commits to it by having Bradley take on a mostly helpless role while Linda takes charge. Early on, we see Bradley as her douchebag boss, so it's a ton of fun seeing the tables turned once we get to the meat and potatoes of the story.
The script is great, but it only works thanks to how perfect the casting is. Rachel McAdams deserves all the praise in the world just for how convincing she is as a dorky loner, but the way she manages to deliver Linda's constantly shifting sense of power and confidence truly makes this a must-watch performance. Her comedic timing is unreal, and despite being almost uncomfortably awkward in the beginning you can't help but root for her even when Linda's actions teeter in their morality. Dylan O'Brien is also just terrific, playing the douchebag well but also nailing the helpless aspect of his character. Bradley is someone who clearly doesn't learn from his choices or mistakes, and O'Brien goes truly unhinged in some moments. The dynamic between the two is so riddled with toxicity, but it's so much fun to watch, making the film a great time from start to finish.
For the most part, the film leans on the comedy, but there are moments throughout that remind you this is a Sam Raimi movie. As I mentioned before, there are scenes with pretty nasty gore, but they come within the confines of a hilarious movie so the film is still very watchable even if you can be squeamish. There are also some hilarious jump scares that will catch you off guard in the best way. There are moments where the CGI leaves a bit to be desired, but this isn't an overly effects-heavy film, and thanks to the already over-the-top tone, it doesn't take you out of the movie. There's a lot of suspending your disbelief, but I don't think that's a bad thing. This isn't a movie trying to deliver something tough or real; it's simply a very fun watch with two terrific performances and an infectiously funny tone. Highly highly recommend this one, I had an absolute blast. 4/5
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