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Send Help (R)

Cast: Rachel McAdams, Dylan O'Brien, Edyll Ismail, Dennis Haysbert

Release Date: January 30, 2026

Runtime: 1 hr. 54 mins.

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's an unsettling, darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. “Send Help” is directed by genre-bending visionary Sam Raimi and stars Oscar® nominee Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. The film is produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi, executive produced by JJ Hook and written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift, with original music by Danny Elfman. The all-original darkly comedic psychological thriller from 20th Century Studios releases in theaters nationwide on January 30, 2026.

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Review

Send Help answers the long-simmering question of what would happen if director Sam Raimi - the mastermind behind The Evil Dead and Spider-Man - were to direct a big-screen reimagining of Gilligan's Island. Okay, that's not quite true, but you get the idea. While similar survival stories like Six Days, Seven Nights and Cast Away might come to mind, the true comparison is Lina Wertmüller's warped 1974 film Swept Away (we will pretend never to have heard of the unfortunate Guy Ritchie/Madonna remake). Send Help bears more than a passing resemblance to Wertmüller's work, albeit with the gender roles swapped.

I thoroughly enjoyed roughly the first two-thirds of Send Help, but I was disappointed by its handling of the overlong climax. There is a third-act reveal that initiates a downward spiral, promising more than it delivers and dragging the movie into well-worn, generic territory. However, until it stumbles, the film offers a solidly entertaining ride. The ending isn't a complete disaster; it's just not as "juicy" as the buildup suggests it will be.

Linda Little (Rachel McAdams) is the kind of character who, if she were male, would be a stereotype ripe for Revenge of the Nerds. Socially awkward, unconcerned with her physical appearance, and generally disliked by her coworkers, she possesses a keen intellect and a mastery of numbers. Her nemesis is the company's new CEO, Bradley Preston (Dylan O'Brien), a charming cad who callously informs Linda she's being passed over for a promotion because she is unattractive and uncouth. Nevertheless, he expects her to travel with him to a critical meeting in Bangkok. En route, their plane suffers a catastrophic failure and plunges into the Gulf of Thailand.

At first, it appears Linda may be the sole survivor as she washes ashore on a deserted beach. However, she soon discovers a seriously injured Bradley. Using skills honed by an obsessive love for the TV show Survivor, Linda sets up a rudimentary camp, starts a fire, secures potable water, and nurses Bradley back to health. Her employer, however, remains less than thankful, subjecting her to demeaning orders and unreasonable requests. But Linda is no longer the timid woman she was in the office; she decides to show Bradley exactly who is in charge in the wild.

Alas, if you've seen the trailer, you've essentially seen the film. The less you know going in, the more surprises Send Help offers as relationships shift like the island sands. The meat of the story lies in the character interaction as the power balance between Linda and Bradley teeters back and forth. We are left to guess when these two are being genuine or simply playacting to gain an advantage. McAdams and O'Brien tear into these roles like their starving characters attacking a roasted boar. The movie only loses steam when it slides into the aforementioned generic thriller territory.

Gore is used sparingly but to great, often comedic, effect. One can see glimpses of the Raimi who directed Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness in these sequences - especially the one involving the boar. The director's intent is clearly more "comedy-thriller" than "straight survival horror," offering both jump scares and big laughs. The ever-changing chemistry between McAdams and O'Brien works... until it doesn't.

Send Help makes for an interesting counterpoint to Swept Away; the similarities are too frequent to be coincidental. Yet, where the Wertmüller film openly courted controversy for its misogynistic elements, Send Help is a more straightforward, crowd-pleasing endeavor. Its release date might suggest a lack of confidence from the distributor, 20th Century Studios, but this is a better movie than we normally see during the "dump months." It is far more worthy of the price of admission than much of what is currently playing.

© 2026 James Berardinelli

Synopsis

Two colleagues become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it's an unsettling, darkly humorous battle of wills and wits to make it out alive. “Send Help” is directed by genre-bending visionary Sam Raimi and stars Oscar® nominee Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien. The film is produced by Raimi and Zainab Azizi, executive produced by JJ Hook and written by Damian Shannon & Mark Swift, with original music by Danny Elfman. The all-original darkly comedic psychological thriller from 20th Century Studios releases in theaters nationwide on January 30, 2026.

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