Send Help Review: Office Comedy Meets Survival Horror in Raimi’s Latest

Genres– Thriller, Horror
Director – Sam Raimi
Writers – Damian Shannon, Mark Swift
Cast – Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Chris Pang, and Dennis Haysbert
Runtime – 115 Minutes
My Rating – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½☆☆

Where to watch/stream Send Help

I found myself rooting for a character I wouldn’t normally like at all

You know what to expect with a Sam Raimi film, and Send Help doesn’t disappoint on the whole.

Plot Summary of Send Help (Spoiler-Free)

Send Help follows Linda Liddle, played by Rachel McAdams, and Brad Preston, played by Dylan O’Brien.

Linda is quiet, awkward, and talented at her job but chronically overlooked, while Brad is loud, entitled, and inherits his position as CEO from his father, and the story starts in a familiar office setting, where Brad’s arrogance and Linda’s tendency to keep her head down set up an uncomfortable dynamic most people recognize.

A plane crash changes everything, leaving only Linda and Brad alive on a remote island, and from there, the story focuses on their attempts to survive, not just against the environment, but against each other.

Send Help Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Send Help doesn’t bother with a drawn-out introduction, as we don’t get any endless exposition about the characters’ backstories, or some forced “meet-cute” office tension, as Linda and Brad exist in their imbalance, and we see it immediately.

Linda’s meekness isn’t cloying, and Brad’s arrogance is irritating, and they are both people you’ve no doubt met in real life – or worse, worked with – and Raimi captures that dynamic brilliantly before the plane crash even happens.

The crash itself is abrupt and unceremonious at first, but Send Help isn’t about the crash, it’s about what comes after, as once they’re stranded, the tonal shift is noticeable, and the office comedy bleeds into survival horror and then into darkly comedic violence.

Rachel McAdams’ performance is quietly amazing, as we witness Linda’s transformation from overlooked office worker to confident, competent survivor that happens gradually, where she builds shelters, hunts, and manages resources without anyone cheering for her, and you notice these skills more because they’re presented matter-of-factly.

Brad, on the other hand, is a trainwreck in real time, and Dylan O’Brien commits fully to being insufferable – he panics, whines, and refuses to accept that he’s no longer in charge – and there’s a scene where Linda leaves him alone for a day, and the camera lingers on his growing panic.

It’s brilliant because it doesn’t need any narration or exposition – the humor and tension come entirely from his failure to adapt, and Brad is just a fantastic character.

With that said, the movie does drag in stretches, as once Linda and Brad settle into a survival rhythm, there’s a lull, as she teaches him survival skills, and they establish routines, but the story slows noticeably, and felt slightly repetitive.

But again, it’s intentional – the slow sections emphasize the monotony of survival and the shifting tension between the two characters, even if it tested my patience at times.

As the story progresses, Linda’s intelligence and quiet aggression start to show – small gestures, glances, and her use of weapons hint at her growing control over Brad, as Raimi keeps it subtle enough that I never felt she was a one-dimensional “strong female character.”

She’s smart, capable, and occasionally terrifying, but still relatable, and when Brad eventually realizes he’s underestimated her, the movie shifts into a messy, chaotic, and occasionally brutal duel with some of the best scenes of the film playing out here, where some scenes are genuinely gross, while others are absurdly funny, like Brad struggling to survive mundane tasks, and it’s a solid combination, as it keeps the tone unpredictable without being jarring.

I also appreciated that neither character is clearly the hero or villain – Linda isn’t punished for being competent, and Brad isn’t rewarded for being obnoxious, and the film presents them as flawed humans who respond to extreme circumstances in believable ways.

There are minor technical nitpicks though, as some of the CGI in certain survival sequences is noticeable, though not distracting, and as mentioned, some of the editing in the middle sections would have been better,

But the story and performances carried the film, and the rough edges sometimes added to the charm, making it feel less polished and more like something you could imagine actually happening, if horrifyingly so.

I did enjoy watching Send Help overall though, as it is darkly funny, occasionally disgusting, and surprisingly thoughtful about power and human behavior – it’s a survival story, a workplace satire, and a small-scale horror-comedy all rolled into one, and it worked well enough.

Welcome back Mr Raimi.

What I Liked (And What I Didn’t Like)

Pros

Rachel McAdams

Believable, and satisfying enough to watch.

Dylan O’Brien

He will make you want to throw things at the screen.

The Power shift between characters

Gradual, clever, and believable.

Dark humor

Funny without ever feeling forced.

The tone

The mix of survival, comedy, and horror works really well.

Practical survival sequences

Fun to watch without being glorified.

Raimi’s direction

It’s what you expect for the most part.

Cons

Slow middle section

The survival routine drags and tests patience.

Some repetitive sequences

Tasks and failures sometimes feel overstretched.

Minor CGI issues

Noticeable in certain sequences but not distracting.

Predictable aspects of the dynamic

You know the power shift is coming, even if the details aren’t obvious.

Who Might Like Send Help

• Fans of Sam Raimi’s signature dark humor
• People who enjoy survival stories
• If you like office satire taken to extremes
• Anyone who appreciates messy, morally gray characters
• Fans of horror-comedy hybrids

Who Might Dislike Send Help

• Viewers sensitive to gore or gross-out moments
• If you’re wanting a fast-paced thrillers without slow sections
• People who need clearly defined heroes
• Anyone irritated by insufferable but intentional characters

Final Verdict: Did I Enjoy Watching Send Help?

Send Help is worth checking out if you can handle a little chaos, some gross-out moments, and a lot of smart, slow-burn character work.

As a fan of Sam Raimi, I wasn’t too disappointed at all.

Send Help Trailer

Simon Leasher

A lover of cinema for over 35 years, I have watched many films from around the world in many different genres, yet I still normally always come back to trashy slasher horror films when in doubt. More

And yes, The Godfather 2 is better than The Godfather.