I know making fun of death is not appropriate these days, but when you have Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man,” “Army of Darkness”) at the helm, all bets are off. “Send Help” does what it’s supposed to do. It handles all the usual problems and predicaments, even though the norm is thrown out the window.
With “Send Help” Raimi takes on horror and twists and turns the genre entirely. He has Rachel McAdams (“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret”) as the aloof Linda Liddle. She’s thrown into a life-or-death situation with her arrogant boss, Bradley Preston, portrayed by Dylan O’Brien (“Anniversary,” “Caddo Lake.”)
The unlikely duo finds themselves cast away and relying on each other on a secluded island. They don’t get along, but McAdams’ Liddle becomes a skilled hunter and her boss must look to her for survival.
Raimi does a great job with the camera work. He knows exactly what he’s doing every step of the way. “Send Help” varies from his excellent work on “Darkman” (1990) and “Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn” (1987). This horror tale is different because it is essentially an adventure story leaning in the direction of a phycological thriller. It’s more like an old-timey, 1960s classic Alfred Hitchcock movies like “The Birds” or “Psycho.”
McAdams is always good in her roles, such as “Spotlight,” which was a great movie that co-starred Michael Keaton. O’Brien, who starred in the “Maze Runner” trilogy, also shared the screen with Keaton in “American Assassin” (2017). He’s well cast here as the antagonist, who’s kind of a jerk. He’s very condescending to her. He’s just a giant bully. That’s what it comes down to.
“Send Help” is one of those films that needs to be seen on a big screen in a movie theater, not on your computer, tablet or phone.
Grade: B+
