'Send Help' review: McAdams and O'Brien are stranded in Sam Raimi's twisted survival thriller

Courtesy of 20th Century Studios

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Borrowing familiar survival and psychological-thriller elements from “Cast Away” and “Misery,” Sam Raimi returns to his roots with “Send Help,” a lean, nasty little two-hander that revels in the filmmaker’s fondness for gross-out gags and moral cruelty. While the film becomes less mysterious the more it explains itself, Raimi’s mischievous energy, paired with two commanding lead performances, keeps the experience gripping. Fans of his gleefully unhinged “Drag Me to Hell” will feel right at home. “Send Help” may wobble as it unravels, but it ultimately sticks the landing, largely on sheer craft and nerve.

The setup is deceptively simple. Rachel McAdams plays Linda Liddel, a devoted “Survivor” superfan whose apartment is cluttered with survival manuals and whose Wednesday nights are reserved for Jeff Probst. That passion for endurance and preparation, however, is invisible at her day job. Linda works in the Planning and Strategy department, a thankless corporate purgatory where her diligence is mistaken for dullness. The vibe recalls Brendan Fraser’s beaten-down office drone in “Bedazzled,” except Linda is sharper, more observant, and quietly biding her time.

Her work ethic has positioned her for a long-promised promotion, but when the company’s CEO dies unexpectedly, the reins are handed to his entitled son Bradley, played with smug precision by Dylan O’Brien. Bradley promptly gives Linda’s promotion to a golfing buddy with barely a résumé, making it clear that merit has no place in his corner office.

That imbalance is violently recalibrated when a private jet carrying Linda and Bradley crashes en route to Bangkok, leaving them as the sole survivors. For Linda, the island becomes the ultimate proving ground. The skills she’s absorbed from years of watching and studying survivalist culture suddenly matter. She can forage, build shelter, and make fire. Bradley, meanwhile, clings to the delusion that corporate hierarchy still applies, attempting to bully and manipulate his way back into control. That fantasy collapses after Linda leaves him alone overnight, a turning point where Bradley finally realizes the alpha-male routine no longer works when there’s no boardroom to back it up.

Written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, “Send Help” delights in destabilizing our allegiances. The script constantly shifts the power dynamic, daring the audience to reconsider who deserves our sympathy and when. McAdams fully commits, delivering one of her most physically and tonally fearless performances in years. There’s a looseness and confidence here that’s thrilling to watch, a sense that she’s genuinely enjoying the ride. O’Brien matches her beat for beat, refusing to let Bradley become a cartoon villain. His performance complicates the film’s moral terrain, making the tension feel earned rather than schematic.

The film does lose some momentum in its back half, particularly once its central psychological gambit becomes clear and the audience senses how it’s being tested. Still, Raimi compensates with inventive, often nasty flourishes that remind you who’s behind the camera. Even when the premise threatens to flatten out, his horror instincts keep the movie sharp, uncomfortable, and unpredictable in ways that elevate what could have been a straightforward survival thriller.

Raimi also takes pointed jabs at corporate culture, portraying the C-suite as a Darwinian nightmare where advancement is a blood sport and “Survivor” functions less as entertainment than as documentary. Danny Elfman’s muscular score adds weight and momentum, while the physical transformations both actors undergo are genuinely impressive. Watching McAdams evolve from an overlooked office worker into a Rambo is electrifying. When she finally goes toe-to-toe with a wild boar, the moment lands so hard it had my entire theater cheering.

That reaction speaks to what “Send Help” ultimately delivers: a communal, crowd-pleasing theatrical experience. It’s the kind of mid-budget, original genre film that feels increasingly rare, made not to extend an IP but to entertain, provoke, and unsettle an audience in real time. After the serviceable “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” it’s refreshing to see Raimi fully back in his wheelhouse. If nothing else, “Send Help” is proof that there’s still an appetite for sharp, nasty, original movies made for the sheer love of the game. Here’s hoping studios take the hint.

Grade: B

SEND HELP opens in theaters Friday, January 30th.