Last weekend I had to make a choice: see a dumpster fire of a movie or see a movie I knew very little about. I leaned toward the former (looking at you Return to Silent Hill), but chose the latter simply due to the showtimes playing near me. So, with snacks in hand, I went to see Send Help.
(Note: This article contains minor plot spoilers, but avoids all major spoilers)
Outside of seeing the trailer for Send Help, I didn’t know much about the movie except that it was directed by Sam Raimi, so I expected a little B-movie cheese (and I’m happy to report that Send Help has plenty of it).
The trailer makes it look like a horror movie about reversed power roles between a mousy middle-aged woman and her newly appointed, obnoxious, misogynistic, asshole boss. And yeah, that’s the premise of Send Help, but the trailer is a little misleading, leaning more into serious horror and even ‘torture porn’ (ala Saw, Hostel, etc.) – after all, the trailer makes it clear Bradley (Dylan O’Brien) is at the mercy of Linda (Rachel McAdams).
However, Send Help is more like a horror action comedy. It’s been a minute since I’ve seen Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, but I’d probably fit it somewhere around that, given the director’s penchant for ‘gross-out to the point of laughter’ beats, with added survival action.
Send Help got louder, more frequent audience laughs than when I saw The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (which got none).
At my showing of Send Help, the audience of about 15-20 had audible, visceral reactions. From laughter to, well, dry heaving for thirty seconds after a scene involving vomit. But hey, a reaction’s a reaction, right?
Oh, and that scene with the rat… so damn good.
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien are good in their respective roles, though some scenes felt like I was watching Rachel McAdams over her character of Linda. That’s less due to the acting and more due to the script, which progresses Linda from a stereotypical nerd to a relatively generic badass beauty. Literally, there’s a glow-up in the makeup and wardrobe that happen quickly upon reaching the island and the movie isn’t shy about showing that. That said, there are hugely deep scenes where Linda’s character shines (as well as Rachel McAdams’ performance), particularly those related to her past. I wish those were reflected in her moment-to-moment personality quirks more than just ‘badass survivor’.
Dylan O’Brien’s character is often a little more exaggerated, with his consistently irritating villain giggle, which he’s able to pull out at a moment’s notice to remind you of the scumbag he’s been. That little cackle helps break the moment-to-moment quirk issue that Linda has. He’s truly vile, and the movie does a great job of playing with your (and Linda’s) trust in him.
There isn’t anything jaw-on-the-floor shocking with Send Help’s twists and turns, but it’s a lot of fun, and that’s one of the best things a movie can be.
Have you seen Send Help? What did you think? Leave a comment below and let others know your thoughts.
