News News January 31, 2026 0 Comments

‘Send Help’ review: Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien lead the thrilling island thriller

I’m sure you’ve been asked, “If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you bring with you?” I don’t know what three things to bring – a full refrigerator comes to mind, because there’s no way in double hockey sticks I can search for my next meal.

When it comes to Sam Raimi New suspense movie “Send help,” There’s enough to chew on, but it’s not below zero either.

Rachel McAdams She plays Linda Liddell, a socially inept numbers analyst at Preston. She’s an outcast at the office, but she’s good at her job and believes she deserves a promotion – that is, until her boss suddenly dies, leaving the company to his son Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien). He gives the position to his old brother who had just joined the company months ago, leaving Linda, a loyal employee of seven years, to storm into Bradley’s office to confront him.

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Bradley gives it brutal honesty – he’s looking for a “lovable person” and “plays golf.” “I don’t think you get it,” he told her plainly, leaving her completely devastated. But a company confidant who knows Linda’s true value urges him to bring her to the company’s upcoming merger meeting in Bangkok, delaying Bradley’s intentions to fire her. So Linda boarded the company’s private jet with Bradley and the Little Boys Club.

To say they experience some turbulence is an understatement when the plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean due to a thunderstorm, leaving Linda swimming toward a deserted island. Shortly afterwards, Bradley washed ashore, leaving the two as the only survivors.

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Dylan O'Brien and Rachel McAdams send help

One important thing to know about Linda; She’s such a big fan of “Survivor” that she sent an audition tape to the reality competition show. She has stacks of books on how to survive anything. If anyone is ready to be stranded on a deserted island, it’s Linda. Building a tent from branches and leaves, making a fire, hunting – she is a true Renaissance woman in the wilderness.

This gives her great influence over Bradley, who not only lacks any practical life skills, but also suffered a bad leg injury from the accident, leaving him completely at her mercy, something he had to learn the hard way.

“We’re not in the office anymore, Bradley,” Linda told him, explaining that she was the one calling the shots on the island.

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The dynamic between Linda and Bradley requires character arcs for both of them. We kind of see that with Linda, who may or may not descend into madness as they embrace their new, distant lifestyle — while Bradley kind of stays in a hole the whole time, even as he offers glimpses of a changed man. But maybe that’s the point: we’re all either always bad or eventually become bad.

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Rachel McAdams carries the film on her shoulders. Even though her character is a lone loser, her intense enthusiasm for surviving on the island is contagious. She has always been an underrated actress. Dylan O’Brien, best known for his stint in ‘Teen Wolf’ and Starring in the “Maze Runner” franchise.working to improve his game in recent roles (see his career-best performance in 2025’s “Twinless”). Even while playing a complete idiot, there is still something about O’Brien that is incredibly disarming.

If the script had been in the hands of different screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (“Freddy vs. Jason,” the 2017 Baywatch reboot), “Send Help” might have been a better movie. However, it certainly elevated Raimi’s iconic style, particularly his violent, cartoon-like puppetry that made him famous with his “Evil Dead” films. The CGI feeds are borderline-hokey as well.

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Judgment

“Send Help” is a fun thriller that showcases the talents of McAdams and O’Brien. It’s not exactly a must-see but it’s quite convenient if you have time to kill during the trip. I just hope you reach your destination.