Sam Raimi returns to dip his toes back into a genre he knows so well with this disgustingly entertaining and original horror-comedy. Prepare to be pulled in and then compelled to look away.
The film follows Linda Liddle (Rachel McAdams), an overworked and underappreciated numbers-cruncher in the corporate world who is othered and pushed around by her coworkers, with some of the men even passing off her work as their own. She lives alone with her bird but has a strong, and much-mocked, special interest in survival skills. Promised a promotion by his predecessor (and father), she is outraged when new boss Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) gives the position to his underqualified friend. As a result of his newly-promoted mate’s lack of actual ability, Linda is brought along on the boys’ club’s private jet to a conference in Bangkok. However, along the way, the plane goes down, stranding Linda and Bradley alone on a desert island. With Linda suddenly finding herself in her element as her particular set of skills become extremely pertinent, and with Bradley’s initially injured from the crash, the tables are suddenly turned. The pair’s relationship swings widely across the spectrum, escalating as it becomes an increasingly dangerous tug of war to see who will make it back to civilisation alive.
What follows is, for the most part, incredibly entertaining; Raimi mixes comedy and horror into a fun-filled cocktail, with a healthy dose of schadenfreude thrown in. Ultimately an underdog story, once our characters are stranded the film rides high on the joy of watching one character somewhat get their comeuppance whilst the previously downtrodden protagonist thrives outside the confines of the corporate cage. However, as the story goes on, everything gets increasingly feral as the characters try to one-up each other to retain control of the situation and twist it to suit their desires. The film keeps you on your toes with an unpredictable plot and unpredictable characters, never allowing you to get too comfortable. It also gets gloriously disgusting at times with several revolting scenes that remind you why it’s so fun to watch these types of films (through your fingers) in a room full of strangers at the cinema. These scenes are horrendous and hilarious at the same time.
Primarily a two-hander, the film lives or dies on its leads’ performances and twisted chemistry and McAdams and O’Brien throw themselves headfirst into their roles. Both clearly relish their parts, with McAdams in particular seeming to have a huge amount of fun. She proves herself in a new genre here yet somehow still feels like an actor that is severely underrated despite her filmography of iconic roles. It is a delight to watch the two actors feed off each other and they keep you invested. The film itself does fall slightly flat in the middle, losing some of its momentum, and in its efforts to crank up the craziness as it goes on, one character’s actions feel as though they push the boundary a little too far, making it harder to root for them in the way the film wants you to. However, but the satisfying denouement, you can’t help but smile as the winning performances suck you back in.
A delicious tale of power and revenge, Send Help offers good old original fun at the cinema. Squeamish people beware, everyone else, strap in for the ride.
