Review ‘Send Help’: Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien lead funny island thriller

I’m sure you’ve been asked, “If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you take with you?” I don’t know what three things I would bring: A stocked refrigerator comes to mind, because with double hockey sticks I can’t hunt for my next meal.

When it comes to Sam Raimi’s new thriller ‘Send Help’, there’s plenty to chew on, but it’s no Sub-Zero either.

Rachel McAdams stars as Linda Liddle, a socially awkward number cruncher at the Preston company. She’s an outsider in the office, but she’s good at her job and believes she can get promoted – until her boss’s sudden death, leaving the company to his son Bradley Preston (Dylan O’Brien). He gives the position to an old college brother of his who just joined the company months ago, causing Linda, a loyal staffer of seven years, to rush into Bradley’s office to confront him.

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Bradley gives her brutal honesty – that he is looking for a “people person” who is “well-liked” and “plays golf.” He clearly tells her, “I just don’t think you understand,” leaving her absolutely devastated. But a company confidant who knows Linda’s true worth urges him to take her to the company’s upcoming merger meeting in Bangkok, delaying Bradley’s plans to fire her. So Linda boards the company private jet with Bradley and his mini boys’ club.

To say they experienced some turbulence is putting it mildly, as the plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean due to a thunderstorm, forcing Linda to swim to a deserted island. Shortly afterwards, Bradley washes up, leaving them as the only survivors.

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Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston and Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Send Help’. (Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)

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

This gives her enormous leverage over Bradley, who not only has no practical life skills, he also suffered a nasty leg injury from the crash, leaving him completely at her mercy, something he had to learn the hard way.

“We’re out of the office, Bradley,” Linda tells him, making it clear that she’s in charge of the island.

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Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston and Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Send Help’. (Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)

The dynamic between Linda and Bradley calls for character arcs for both of them. We kind of see it in Linda, who may or may not descend into madness as she embraces their new secluded lifestyle – while Bradley remains a bit of an ass throughout, even when he shows glimpses of a changed man. But perhaps that is the conclusion: we are all always bad or we all eventually become bad.

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Dylan O’Brien as Bradley Preston and Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Send Help’. (Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)

Rachel McAdams carries the film on her shoulders. Despite her character being a lonely loser, her over-the-top enthusiasm for surviving the island is infectious. She has always been an underrated artist. Dylan O’Brien, best known for his role in ‘Teen Wolf’ and starring in the ‘Maze Runner’ franchise, has upped his game in recent roles (see his career-best performance in 2025’s ‘Twinless’). Even when you’re playing a complete jerk, there’s still something about O’Brien that’s incredibly disarming.

If the script were in the hands of different screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift (“Freddy vs. Jason,” the 2017 reboot of “Baywatch”), perhaps “Send Help” would be a better film. That said, it’s certainly enhanced by Raimi’s iconic style, particularly his cartoonish gore that made him famous with his ‘Evil Dead’ films. The borderline-hokey CGI also plays a part in it.

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Rachel McAdams as Linda Liddle in 20th Century Studios’ ‘Send Help’. (Brook Rushton. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All rights reserved.)

The verdict

“Send Help” is a funny thriller that showcases the talents of McAdams and O’Brien. It’s not exactly a must-see, but perfectly adequate if you have time to kill during a flight. Just hope you reach your destination.

★★ ½ — STREAM IT LATER

“Send Help” is rated R for strong/gory violence and language. Running time: 1 hour, 53 minutes. Now in cinemas.

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