An island survival story starring Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien should be charming. Sam Raimi, naturally, makes it unhinged.
Raimi, who launched his career with cult horror like “The Evil Dead” before swinging into blockbuster territory with Tobey Maguire’s “Spider-Man,” has always had a knack for turning ordinary situations into gleeful chaos.
In “Send Help,” Raimi trades the haunted cabins of the “Evil Dead” horror franchise for a deserted island, where a plane crash leaves corporate underling Linda Liddle (McAdams) stranded with her smug boss, Bradley Preston (O’Brien).
What begins as a familiar tale of survival quickly mutates into something far stranger — a psychological tug-of-war wrapped in slapstick brutality, social satire and the kind of tonal whiplash Raimi has built a career on.
Raimi treats the island less like a backdrop and more like a pressure cooker for ego. Basic survival tasks — finding food, building shelter, deciding who’s in charge — spiral into painfully funny power struggles.
I loved how fully the movie commits to that bit. Cooperation is always just one bruised ego away from collapse, and that tension fuels both the comedy and the stakes.
McAdams proves once again she’s one of the most versatile actors working today. She grounds the film with a performance that moves seamlessly between exasperation, determination and barely contained fury.
Some of the funniest moments come from her silent reactions — the looks she gives when her character is forced to tolerate bad decisions or condescending leadership in a situation where competence actually matters. It’s physical comedy rooted in character, not just gags, and it gives the film an emotional anchor.
Honestly, Linda holds it together better than I would. Being stuck with an egotistical finance bro trying to assert authority in a life-or-death situation is a nightmare scenario the movie mines for both attention and laughs.
O’Brien, meanwhile, delivers one of his most entertaining performances since his “Teen Wolf” years. He leans fully into the film’s most punchable instincts, playing Bradley with a mix of misplaced confidence and fragile authority.
His performance is sharp and self-aware in a way that makes the character’s gradual unraveling both satisfying and ridiculous. Watching his bravado steadily crumble becomes one of the movie’s most reliable sources of comedy.
Visually, Raimi keeps things lively, even with just two main characters and a stretch of sand. The camera swoops, tilts and rushes in at unexpected moments, turning routine survival efforts into mini set pieces that bounce between suspense and slapstick. That restless style keeps the film from feeling static.
Beneath the coconuts and chaos, the film lands some pointed satire.
Stranded far from the office, these characters still cling to corporate hierarchies and performative leadership, as if a job title might somehow help them start a fire. That theme gives the comedy bite and keeps the movie from feeling like a string of gags.
The tonal swings won't work for everyone. Raimi delights in abrupt pivots from tension to absurdity, and viewers expecting a straightforward thriller may feel thrown.
But that unpredictability is exactly what makes “Send Help” memorable. It never settles in one mode for long, and that chaotic energy suits a story about two people who can't stop trying to outmaneuver one another.
In the end, “Send Help” is less about surviving nature than surviving each other. It’s scrappy, strange and frequently hilarious — a reminder that in a Sam Raimi movie, paradise is just another setup for things to go spectacularly wrong.
Contact Aaliyah Evertz at aevertz@alligator.org. Follow her on X @aaliyahevertz1.
Aaliyah is a second-year journalism student in her second semester at the Alligator. She is the Avenue's spring 2026 entertainment reporter. In her free time, she enjoys reading and baking.
