Title – Send Help (2026)

Director – Sam Raimi (Spider-Man)

Cast – Rachel McAdams, Dylan O’Brien, Edyll Ismail, Xavier Samuel, Dennis Haysbert

Plot – Softly spoken office worker Linda Liddle (McAdams) and her privileged boss Bradley Preston (O’Brien) find themselves the sole survivors of a plane crash. Looking to survive on a deserted island as they await potential rescue, Linda and Bradley engage in a battle of wits in their harsh surrounds.  

“Never mistake my kindness for weakness”

Review by Eddie on 11/03/2026

Garnering some of director Sam Raimi’s best critical reviews of his long and storied career and becoming somewhat of a surprise box office success story, Send Help has bucked the trend of Hollywood January releases being nothing more than dumped trainwrecks.

His first film behind the camera since his disappointing 2022 effort Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and his first original outing since 2009’s Drag Me to Hell, it’s great seeing Raimi back in the director’s chair delivering unique content and long-time fans of the filmmaker are likely going to enjoy lots of Raimiisms that exist here but going against the grain, I must admit I found Help more of a chore than a joy to sit through in what felt like an endurance test, rather than an entertaining 2 hours.

Starting out well enough as we are introduced to Rachel McAdam’s introverted office worker Linda Liddle who is the butt of her workplaces jokes and nothing but a tool for Dylan O’Brien’s business owner Bradley Preston to utilise for his own benefits, Help doesn’t stay in civilisation for too long before Liddle and Preston are island bound survivors of a fatal plane crash that will change the course of their lives forever.

It’s on this island that Liddle showcases herself to be anything but a softly spoken homebody as she becomes one with her inner Tom Hanks and takes control over her and Brad’s island home, setting in motion a series of escalating power plays and character interactions that get more and more intense as time wears on.

As this island bound escapade goes on and on it’s where Help begins to struggle by giving us nothing but two highly unlikable characters to be stuck with, with neither Linda’s increasingly crazed persona or Brad’s selfish posturing and haphazard plans making for characters we can root for, ensuring it’s hard to endure their plights across a two hour running time as a viewer.

Initially Linda, thanks to a very committed McAdams who once more showcases she is an actress of immense talent, appears to be someone we can get behind as she sticks it too the man (and men) and unleashes her full potential but due to a series of interesting character choices and a last act that allows for Raimi to go full horror mode, you do question what we were supposed to be feeling for these central figures other than disdain and annoyance.

With high quality production values, some unpredictable twists and turns and Raimi drawing back to his horror roots (blood spilling included) there’s some value to be found in Help from a viewing perspective but for anyone like me who failed to find a reason to care for these often-downright horrible examples of human beings, Help is more grating than great, even if it’s fantastic to see Raimi swing once more into original territory.

Final Say –

Striking a chord with most critics and general audiences, there’s clearly an audience for Send Help but for those that fail to connect with its two central figures (both played well by their stars), this is an island endurance test that isn’t worth the price of admission.

2 tuna sandwiches out of 5