SEND HELP
Starring: Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien
Director: Sam Raimi
ADRIANO
The moments in Send Help where writer/director Sam Raimi goes full tilt into his wheelhouse of campy ultra-gore were the most fun. The moments in between, however, not so much. Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are excellent, both showing off outstanding comedic chops. And as much as I found the psychological breakdown of these characters lacklustre, it was entertaining enough to hold my attention throughout. The conversations that populate the majority of the runtime were dull, and the eat-the-rich twisty narrative is getting old, but it’s exciting to see Raimi cook nonetheless, even if this isn’t his finest hour.
ROBERT
While the climax and the inevitable violence is where horror thrillers make their money, the subtlety of the characters’ descents into madness is where the intrigue is built. Send Help takes the concept of corporate power dynamics and subverts it for a real-life survival situation, sold impeccably by the performances of Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. How their real-life relationship plays into their island interactions, in addition to all of writer/director Sam Raimi's bloody, eye-popping decadence, is what makes this unique and an upper-echelon January release. I would put this film up for immunity to outlast the competition.
PAIGE
Send Help is a return to form for writer/director Sam Raimi. Though it unfortunately suffers from odd editing choices and outdated, flat out bad VFX, this dark horror comedy is filled with blood, gore, and plenty of Raimi’s signature camp. The story itself is a hell of a ride and is elevated by its two leads, Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. McAdams delivers a batshit crazy performance that’s so much fun to watch, while O’Brien perfectly nails the role of douchebag boss. While the movie does become a bit repetitive at times, it manages to remain entertaining throughout.
BODE
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Sam Raimi in such a sadistically funny register, let alone in an R-rated environment altogether. Send Help provides the opportunity for him to do both, and in those moments where the Hollywood genre meister is really cooking, it’s a romp - especially with such committed performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien at the centre of it. And while those moments aren’t sparse, the near two-hour runtime does give way to some repetitiveness and an uneven balance of tone. It’s entertaining, no doubt, but short of greatness.
AMARÚ
It takes balls to make Rachel McAdams the ugly outcast looked over at work (because, c’mon, it’s Rachel McAdams) but her massive talent makes Send Help’s stereotypical opening a marvelous set up for hilarious catharsis and delicious pay off. McAdams and Dylan O’Brien’s delirious two-man game is perfect for long-time director/composer collaborators Sam Raimi and Danny Elfman to deliver campy, dark, horror comedy that’s quintessential to their best work. It gets slightly repetitive, and a bit long-in-the-tooth at times, but Send Help is a blast of a canvas for O’Brien, McAdams, Raimi, and Elfman to playfully paint.
