⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien
Two strangers survive a catastrophic plane crash and find themselves stranded on a remote island. What starts as a survival story slowly morphs into something darker — a psychological tug-of-war layered with horror tension, bursts of action, and that signature Sam Raimi sense of chaotic fun.
Yes!! This is the kind of movie I love.
It’s tight. It’s not convoluted. It blends humor, horror, and action without losing the thread of its story. Raimi has always understood how to balance tone — and Send Help feels like a director fully in control of his playground.
Rachel McAdams is phenomenal here. She essentially plays two versions of the same character: Linda before the crash, and Linda after being marooned.
Before the island, she feels isolated, restrained, almost disconnected from her own life. On the island? She transforms. There’s confidence. There’s authority. There’s something almost unsettling about how at home she becomes in this survival setting. It’s a layered performance, and she sells both sides completely.
Dylan O’Brien also delivers something we haven’t really seen from him before. His character is a horrible human being, and he slowly unravels in a believable way — desperation creeping in, hope fading, frustration building. Where McAdams’ character grows stronger and more grounded, O’Brien’s begins to crack.
Watching the two of them drift in opposite psychological directions is what makes this movie work so well.
Sam Raimi is absolutely the guy for this job. The film carries his fingerprints without feeling like a self-parody. There are bursts of kinetic energy, clever camera movements, and moments of dark humor that cut through tension at exactly the right time.
What impressed me most is how clean the storytelling feels. It never becomes messy or overstuffed. The horror elements escalate naturally. The action feels earned. The humor lands because it grows from character rather than forced punchlines.
And I loved how the movie made me constantly question whose side I was on. There was never a clear “hero” or “villain” dynamic. I kept going back and forth on what I wanted to happen — and I kind of enjoyed not having a clean moral answer.
The island setting is shot beautifully, but never in a glossy way. There’s grit to it. Isolation feels real. Raimi and his team use the environment as both a playground and a pressure cooker.
The script deserves credit too. A lot of the humor works because of how sharp the dialogue is — and because the two leads deliver it so naturally. There are plenty of funny moments, but they never undercut the tension.
When things turn darker, the film doesn’t pull punches. It builds anxiety effectively, especially in the latter half. There are some moments of obvious CGI, but it’s used in moments, and it doesn’t take away from what’s happening.
This is the kind of movie that reminds me why I love genre filmmaking. It’s fun. It’s intense. It trusts its audience. It doesn’t try to be overly clever or drown itself in twists.
There were moments near the end that genuinely had me worried about how everything would wrap up. I wasn’t sure the film would stick the landing. And while I’m not 100% sold on the final beat, I left satisfied.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ☆
Send Help is a confident, entertaining blend of horror, action, and dark comedy that plays to Sam Raimi’s strengths.
Rachel McAdams delivers one of her most compelling performances in a genre film, Dylan O’Brien surprises in a role that shows new range, and the film keeps you engaged by never giving you a clear emotional lane to settle into.
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