Sam Raimi's Send Help Delivers Genre-Bending Survival Thrills
Before last week's premiere of Send Help at the Odeon Leicester Square, director Sam Raimi attempted to entertain the audience with humour during his introduction. When his jokes failed to land, he turned to slapstick comedy, creating an awkward but memorable moment that made everyone eager for the film to begin. This might have been a deliberate strategy from the veteran filmmaker.
A Director of Remarkable Range
Sam Raimi's extensive filmography includes the iconic Evil Dead franchise, the groundbreaking Spider-Man trilogy, the revisionist Western The Quick And The Dead, and the darkly gothic crime drama A Simple Plan. He demonstrates his versatility once again with Send Help, blending multiple genres in a sometimes uneasy but consistently compelling manner.
The film combines comedy, social satire, survivalist-thriller elements, and gross-out body-horror into a cohesive parable about an underdog fighting for recognition. While not suitable for all audiences, the film creates a powerful sense of exhilaration that carries viewers through to the final credits.
Office Politics Meets Survival Drama
The story begins in the United States offices of a financial services company, where the nervously diligent Linda Liddle, portrayed by Rachel McAdams, attempts to remind her new boss Bradley Preston, played by Dylan O'Brien, about a promotion promised by his late father, the company's founder.
Linda unquestionably deserves the promotion through her hard work and efficiency, but Bradley shows no interest in her professional advancement. He represents an entitled, sexist character who rewards only sycophantic colleagues while dismissing Linda as a frumpy office nerd, regardless of her capabilities or his father's promises.
Rachel McAdams delivers an impeccable and hilarious performance as Linda, despite not being an obvious choice for such a character. In her spare time, Linda applies her professional focus to studying bushcraft and survivalism, even applying for the television show Survivor, which becomes a source of mockery when Bradley and his colleagues discover her audition tape online.
From Corporate Jet to Deserted Island
The narrative takes a dramatic turn when the characters board a company jet bound for Bangkok, where Linda's assistance becomes reluctantly necessary for closing an important business deal. The plane crashes during a storm, leaving only Linda and Bradley as survivors washed up on a remote island in the Gulf of Thailand.
From this point, the story follows a somewhat predictable trajectory as Bradley gradually learns to appreciate Linda's survival skills rather than her spreadsheet abilities. The unlikely pair bond while building shelters, sourcing drinkable water, and confronting dangerous wildlife, with hints of potential romance developing between them.
The central questions become whether Bradley will reform his behaviour and whether Linda will discover newfound confidence. Director Sam Raimi, working from a screenplay by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, keeps audiences guessing about the ultimate direction of this unconventional survival story.
Dylan O'Brien's Dual Performances
Dylan O'Brien delivers strong work in Send Help, but showcases even greater acting range in another recent release, Twinless. James Sweeney's dark but touching relationship comedy, set primarily in Portland, Oregon, presents a smart and engaging narrative with excellent performances from both O'Brien and Sweeney.
O'Brien plays Roman, whose identical twin Rocky died in a road accident. The brothers differed significantly in personality despite their physical resemblance, with Rocky being gay, flamboyant, and witty while Roman struggles with anger issues exacerbated by his brother's death.
Roman begins attending therapy sessions for bereaved twins, where he meets Dennis, played by Sweeney, who also lost a twin brother in an accident. The two develop a firm, mutually reliant friendship that explores complex emotional territory with sensitivity and intelligence.
Modern Shakespeare and Intense Drama
Also showing in cinemas is a modern-day Hindu adaptation of Hamlet starring Riz Ahmed as the vengeful prince. This version remains mostly faithful to Shakespeare's original text while relocating the story to contemporary London within a wealthy, dysfunctional Hindu family, with Elsinore represented as a powerful corporation rather than a castle.
Riz Ahmed delivers a formidably intense performance as the young man discovering his uncle's treachery, supported by a strong cast including Sheeba Chaddha as Gertrude, Art Malik as Claudius, Timothy Spall as Polonius, Joe Alwyn as Laertes, and Morfydd Clark as Ophelia. The film features several startling scenes, including Hamlet delivering his famous soliloquy while speeding through East London in a BMW.
The Chronology Of Water, Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, offers no respite from intensity with its grim adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's memoir about childhood sexual abuse. Imogen Poots delivers a powerful performance as Lidia, a former aspiring champion swimmer damaged by paternal abuse who struggles to form healthy relationships in adulthood.
All films reviewed are currently showing in cinemas, offering audiences diverse cinematic experiences ranging from genre-bending comedy to intense psychological drama.
